For the past two years, Luke Plapp, racing for Ineos Grenadiers in the Australian Road Championships, may have been a lone standout, but he still took the green and gold jersey in the road race both times. This time, however, Plapp belongs to Jayco Aroura, a team with the power in numbers to control the race, a team that has everyone's attention.

Australia's only WorldTour team will no doubt be looking to reaffirm its dominance when it comes to regularly lapping the Buninyong circuit.

The question is whether it will be possible for Plapp to win again when he becomes part of the dominant team's defense instead of trying to break it down.

"It's going to be a completely different race," Plapp told Cycling News in the month leading up to the race. 'I was used to thinking about tactics, how I could win solo.'

Whether that will be a boon or a burden for the riders who go into the race looking at the possibility of a third consecutive victory will have to wait for the final on Sunday, January 7, when, as in 2023 when defending champion Plapp won, every rider on the Jayco Iaia team will be marked. will be marked.

The team will go into the race with a strong lineup, so Plapp will not necessarily take the team win.

"First of all, I think as a team we have to get the jersey and I think we have missed the jersey the last few years. But I hope the team gets the jersey back, whether it's me or somebody else."

"It would help to show that the Australian tradition is back and that we are winning again with the Aussies. It's going to give us a lot of pride every race when we race in the Aussie team and wear the Aussie national jersey."

Not only will Plapp be making his debut from Jayco Aroura in the Australian Road Championships, but Caleb Yuan, who returns to the Australian team after five years with Lotto Soudal, may also be able to follow the stripes on Sunday.

"I'm actually a little disappointed that I didn't get to show off the jersey on the podium in Europe and lead the race," said Plapp, who had a tough season in 2023 with illness and injury. With Caleb on the team, if he can win the Aussie championship, that would be very special." [When I was a kid, I saw Robbie [McEwen] and Jero [Simon Gerrans] win Europe in the Aussie jersey.

"It definitely inspired me when I was younger. I hope Caleb can win the jersey and win on a bigger stage. It would be great for the kids to have him back, especially for Australian cycling."

Ewan finished second in the 2015 Australian championships and, although he finished 18th last year, he held on for nearly all of the 16 climbs on the Mount Buninyong Road.

However, Buninyon's action on the final climb blew up the field and set Ewan back. As a Lotto Soudal racer, he did not have the benefit of a strong team to control the race or pull him back into contention. This year, however, was different.

Even if Plapp doesn't end up chasing the team's green and gold in the road race - and it's hard not to think of Plapp as the team's best chance for consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023 - he has until the elite men's individual time trial on Thursday, January 4 has a big goal in mind.

"I want to focus on what I can control, and ultimately a road race jersey for the team would be great," Plapp said.

In 2021, Plapp made an early switch to the elite category and quickly took time trial honors. Since then, however, the race against the clock has not gone his way, and he missed the competition in 2022 and suffered mechanical problems in 2023 when Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) took the title.

In 2024, Vine will not travel to Australia to defend his title in Ballarat. In addition to his status as a past winner, Plapp is clearly motivated and training well, as he climbed Mount Buffalo on the final stage of the Tour of Bright to take the win in style.

"I'm really, really looking forward to riding with the team, so I want to make a good first impression and get off to a good start," Plapp said.

So no matter what happens in the road race, or if Plapp changes teams in 2024, the colors of the jerseys on his back will likely remain consistent. Green and gold are clearly colors he does not want to give up.

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