Luke Plapp has secured third place in the general classification of the Tour de Hongrie.
The 25-year-old Australian from Team Jayco AlUla made an all-or-nothing attempt on the fifth stage to move up in the rankings. While his attack was brought back, he held onto his podium position in the overall rankings.
Plapp had started the day in third place after a superb ride during Saturday’s fourth stage. It was ultimately shortened due to severe weather conditions, meaning the intended queen stage was no longer suitable for making a decisive difference in the GC.
Nevertheless, his third-place finish in that penultimate stage saw him move up to a provisional podium place in the general classification.
Plapp was not content to settle for third place and tried to make up ground in Sunday’s final stage. After the fourth and final ascent of the Gella, a second category-climb, he put in a significant acceleration. Partly due to the wind, the peloton broke up into pieces.
For over 20 kilometres, Plapp led the race with a relatively small lead over the peloton, giving it his all. In the process, he also picked up bonus seconds. But in the final three kilometres, he and his two breakaway companions were reeled in.
Plapp thus finished third in the general classification, an outstanding performance that followed his fifth-place finish in the Tour de Romandie.
Luke Plapp
“I gave it my all today, and I’m proud of the team and the fact that we never gave up in our efforts to achieve a good result. It’s been a positive week in Hungary, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work towards the next goals ahead.”
2026 Tour de Hongrie Results:
- Jakob Söderqvist
- Benoit Cosnefroy + 0”40
- Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) + 0”49
Photo: Sprint Cycling
