Defending champion Luke Durbridge had to settle for the silver medal at the Australian time trial championships as Luke Plapp (InForm TMX MAKE) denied him a hat-trick of consecutive wins to claim the 2021 title.
Durbridge was the last rider down the start ramp in Ballarat and the recent Santos Festival of Cycling winner was reportedly fastest at the end of the first lap. However, the four-time champion couldn’t maintain his advantage as Plapp began to claw time back to lead at the halfway point.
Durbridge crossed the line in a time of 46’42”, but it wasn’t enough as Plapp came home one minute faster to take the elite title. Durbridge’s Team BikeExchange teammate Lucas Hamilton put in a solid ride to take fifth on the day, 3’20” down.
Luke Durbridge:
“My ride was ok, obviously I would like to have done a little bit better than what I did.
“Plapp did an amazing ride, chapeu to him, there’s not much I could have done about that today. But I’m just glad to be competing in the national championships and the silver medal’s not bad, I just obviously would have liked better.
“I’m looking forward to Sunday now, we have a strong team, I’m feeling good and I’ve got a bit of a fire in my belly from today. I’ll give it everything and hopefully we can retain the national champion’s jersey.”
Australian Time Trial Championships 2021 – Results:
1. Luke Plapp (InForm TMX MAKE) 45’40”
2. Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange) +01:02
3. Kelland O’Brien (InForm TMX MAKE) +1’30”
5. Lucas Hamilton (Team BikeExchange) +3’20”
