Team Jayco AlUla have concluded a successful and memorable edition of the Giro d’Italia, highlighted by two stunning solo victories and a host of top-10 results during a demanding three weeks of racing.
From Albania to Rome, the Australian outfit were active and in the mix throughout the 21 stages and the squad were rewarded for their attacking spirit with two special stage wins for Luke Plapp and Chris Harper.
Rollercoaster Racing
The rollercoaster ride typified the demands of a three-week Grand Tour. From early heartbreak for national time trial champion Plapp, who crashed out of contention on the stage two TT, to losing the experience of Koen Bouwman who was forced to abandon the race with illness at the end of the first week.
Harper also suffered his own dose of bad luck, after initially targeting the general classification illness struck the 30-year-old in the second week, ultimately ruling him out of the running for a top-10 place overall.
However, despite these setbacks, both Plapp and Harper showed their fighting spirit to claim maiden Grand Tour wins in unforgettable fashion. Firstly, with Plapp’s impressive 46km solo ride to glory on a relentless and undulating stage eight, before Harper capped off a Giro to remember by conquering the mythical Colle delle Finestre with a 32km attack to win stage 20.
Debuts and Top-10s
Armed with an attack-minded and aggressive squad, Team Jayco AlUla set about a relentless hunt for stage success from the opening day. Grand Tour debutants Paul Double and Davide De Pretto were both in the mix in the early stages as they infiltrated breakaways, with the latter taking a top-10 finish on day three.
Further top-10 placings followed as Plapp and Michael Hepburn delivered strong rides against the clock on stage 10, while an aggressive Filippo Zana fought to sixth place on a brutal stage 15.
Overall, the team leaves Rome happy and satisfied after a successful three-week Grand Tour that showcased the team’s fighting spirit and attitude.
David McPartland (Sports Director)
“This Giro has been a fantastic one for the whole team with two stage wins. We come into any Grand Tour with a goal to win a stage, so to be going home with two stage wins here, it sums up our successful three-week journey at the Giro.
Also with our top 10 results, we’ve had seven top 10s from different riders, which shows the depth of the whole team in this Giro d’Italia, it’s been a really well-rounded team.
We’ve had a busy three weeks; every day we’ve had goals for the guys. A lot of Grand Tours we go into, we identify stages were chasing and also list stages that are more or less ‘days off’, but this year we’ve been very busy every day chasing results, so chapeau to the to the guys.”
Chris Harper:
“The first week was good, I was feeling quite good and then the second week was not much fun, I got a bit ill and then the third week I was getting better and better. Then yesterday was a good way to finish it off.
For sure it’s nice to win on the on such a big hard stage and I think it finished off a good three weeks by the team. Obviously, we started off with a win with Plappy and to finish with another stage win, I think we can be very happy as a team and how the race has gone for us.”
2025 Giro d’Italia
1st Luke Plapp (Stage 8)
1st Chris Harper (Stage 20)
6th Filippo Zana (Stage 15)
7th Luke Plapp (Stage 10)
8th Davide De Pretto (Stage 18)
9th Michael Hepburn (Stage 10)
10th Davide De Pretto (Stage 3)
Photos: Sprint Cycling
