Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) has begun his racing rebuild after wrist surgery and quickly found his way to the top step of the podium at the 2.1-ranked Tour of Hellas.
The opening day of racing in Greece was one for the sprinters but the climbing – and territory that suited Plapp – started on Thursday's 177km stage 2 which delivered 3,107m of elevation gain, with the biggest challenge being the 22km ascent to the finish line in Arachova.
That is where Plapp struck, reeling in the break and then pushing on. Ecuadorian Harold Martín López (XDS Astana) was the only rider able to remain in touch, but the Australian won the duel to the line.
“This win means a lot to me. The season started with a setback, which put me out of racing for a while," said Plapp, who, before the Tour of Hellas, last raced in January at the Santos Tour Down Under.
"To take this win straight away in the first race after my comeback gives me a very good feeling and a lot of motivation for the rest of the Tour of Hellas and the other races ahead.”
However, the win, which Plapp took in the rain-soaked finale of the stage, was not quite enough to send the Jayco-AlUla rider to the top of the overall standings as he lost seven seconds on the opening stage. It leaves the Australian second overall at three seconds behind López.
"I'm satisfied for the win as well as the points and the mountain classification," said Plapp. "There are still some stages to go, so hopefully we will see in the end of the week about the general classification."
Nevertheless Plapp, who has hopes of chasing a top-ten Grand Tour result this year, now has his first win in Europe to add to his list of six wins at the Australian Road National Championships.
Three stages of the five-stage Tour of Hellas now remain. Friday's 152km stage 3 starts with a climb and then descends to the line, while the 186km stage 4 is likely to be the GC decider.
Saturday's Queen stage is punctuated by three large climbs delivering 3,764m of elevation gain, though the top of the final summit comes at just under 20km from the line. The final day of racing to Athens is then relatively flat, offering another opportunity for the sprinters.
