Nothing captures Luke Plapp’s imagination like the Olympic Games.
With Paris 2024 just around the corner, the 23-year-old Victorian has been confirmed on the Australian road cycling team and he’s got his Qantas boarding pass, an iconic moment for any Aussie Olympian.
The Games are the reason Plapp got into cycling and remain the fire in his belly as a professional. Now going to his second Olympics, he wants to help inspire the next generation.
“At the end of the day, it’s why I’m an athlete and it gets me out of bed every day to train,” Plapp says. “I had just as much excitement getting the boarding pass and the Aussie polo as I did for Tokyo.
“When it happened in Tokyo, it was a dream come true. I had achieved everything I had set out to do as a kid, to become an Olympian. I still had the exact same excitement this time around. It’s such an iconic thing getting that Qantas boarding pass and it’s definitely what inspired me. I always dreamed of getting one when I was a kid. In Tokyo, I wasn’t able to be an idol and inspire others because it was my first time. Now, hopefully I can have the same influence on other people and allow them to dream.”
Plapp’s love of the Olympic Games runs deep after watching the competition from a young age. His first introduction to the event came in 2008 with the host location of Beijing providing a rare chance for Aussies to watch on a time zone similar to their own.
Seeing Australia’s performances in the pool, where they got 20 medals – including six gold – had a big impact on a young Plapp.
“I was seven at the time and they were the ones that I remember staying up for and watching. Being Australian, seeing the swimmers – which was what we’re known for – winning so many gold medals was what I most remember. That actually made me want to get an Olympic tattoo. I remember every time they used to get out of the water and they had the Olympic rings on their chest. The day after I got back from Tokyo, that’s the first thing I got,” he says.
A full Olympic experience
The Games in Paris will be Plapp’s second time at the Olympics after making his debut in Tokyo in 2021, where he claimed a bronze medal on the track alongside his GreenEDGE Cycling teammate Kell O’Brien in the team pursuit.
Due to the heavy restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a fairly muted first Olympics. This time out, Plapp is hoping to get the full experience, from hanging out with fellow athletes in the village to watching other events once he’s completed his own competitions.
“Being a COVID games, we weren’t a part of the village, and it was very much a get in and get out atmosphere. Talking to the team that did go to Rio and other Games, I know we definitely missed out on the full experience in Tokyo,” Plapp says.
“To be able to go and support other Aussies and watch their sports, I think that’s what makes the Olympics so special. You hear so many stories about how it’s amazing cheering on other Aussie teammates and seeing them achieve great things. The road events are in the first week of competition, so we’ve got that whole second week. It only happens once every four years and you don’t get to do it many times in your life. I want to make sure I experience it to the fullest.”
Before Plapp can think about catching some hockey or a bit of athletics, he’s got his own events to complete. After taking a medal on the boards of the velodrome in Tokyo three years ago, he’s focusing on the time trial and road race.
First up will be the TT on the opening Saturday, a discipline he’s poured many hours into in the build-up to Paris with the help of GreenEDGE Cycling’s sport engineering director Marco Pinotti. The work has paid off and putting in two strong TT performances at the Giro d’Italia in May has given Plapp the confidence he needs to go into the Olympics.
“I’ve always struggled with time trials in Europe, one way or another and I was never able to pinpoint exactly what it was,” he explains. “To get the monkey off my back and get a couple of good TTs in Europe gave me a lot of belief moving forward. The team I’ve got in place around me in Australia, and also with the team in Marco Pinotti, we’re doing great things and it gives me a lot of confidence going into time trials now.”
A little bit of home
Plapp is one of six riders representing Australia on the road across the men’s and women’s squads. Five of those six riders are from Victoria, including Liv AlUla Jayco rider Ruby Roseman-Gannon, and he’s grown-up racing alongside many of them.
“It’s super special. From a personal point of view, to have five out of the six of the Australian Olympic team as Victorians and people I grew up with is super special. My coach also coaches Ruby and has had a big influence on the other Victorians, too,” says Plapp.
Canberra native, and Team Jayco AlUla teammate, Michael Matthews will be joining Plapp and co. for the road race. It will be a major chance to go for a medal and ‘Plappy’ is ready to go all-in for his national and trade teammate.
“It’s awesome to have Bling. Me and Clarky [Simon Clarke] know Bling super well and also know that on a big stage there’s not many better in the world that can stand up and perform like him,” Plapp says. “There’s a lot of confidence as well to know that’s our role to help Bling and he’s a proven performer on that stage. I’m looking forward to focusing on my TT, then those guys get in a couple of days afterwards and we’ve got a week of working together and trying to do the ultimate with Bling. One thing that he doesn’t have on his palmarès is an Olympic medal. I think he really believes in it and it’s quite special knowing me and Clarky are there to help him achieve that goal.”
Even closer to home for Plapp will be the four fellow Olympians and Paralympians from his high school in Maribyrnong that will be in Paris this summer, something that will make this summer’s games even more memorable. His schoolmates will be competing in the hurdles, taekwondo, table tennis, and swimming.
“It’s pretty remarkable for a small school in Maribyrnong in Victoria. It’s cool and I’m really looking forward to going on and supporting them,” he says. “I’ve got friends from different codes that I’m going to see. I’m such a sports nut, honestly, and I’ll be cheering on any Aussies but to be able to cheer with people that you went to school with is great and I’m looking forward to trying to organise a school photo in Paris. That would be really special.”
