When two-time winner Luke Plapp and Jayco-AIUIa teammate Chris Harper went off out the front of the men’s elite road race at Australia’s Road National Championships with more than 100km to go, it wasn’t long before the question turned from will they make it to - which one will claim the title?
It was a discussion that raged on for lap after lap around the course, given that if Plapp won that would mean three titles in a row. On the other hand, if the hard-working Harper claimed the victory for himself, it would be an incredible reward for his unstinting efforts as an ever-reliable domestique.
But it turned out that, even though the pair had only been teammates for barely a week, there was no such consternation out on the road.
