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2025 got off to an almost perfect start for Luke Plapp. The 24-year-old Australian got a win in the national time trial championships and then intentionally gave up a shot at a fourth national road race title despite clearly having the form, instead helping propel Jayco-AlUla teammate Luke Durbridge to the win. As told in an exclusive interview with Escape, Plapp has his sights set on earning experience as a general classification (GC) rider.
Jayco-AlUla has been sponsored by Giant since 2022, giving the team the choice between the TCR or the Propel platforms for road stages and providing the team with the newly launched Trinity for time trials.
Although the team has use of the TCR and the Propel, Giant has done such a good job of refining the Propel that it is hard to justify selecting the TCR in most racing situations. The Propel can be built up to hover around the UCI’s 6.8 kg minimum weight limit whilst having the aerodynamic benefit over the lighter TCR. Even though the Propel is positioned as the brand’s dedicated aero bike, it arguably falls into the all-rounder category.
One noticeable change for 2025 is Jayco’s team livery. Gone is the blue, red, and silver colourway of 2024, with a bold and popular purple-to-silver fade. This aligns nicely with the team’s kit design, which was designed by new sponsor MAAP, the Australian cycling apparel brand.
For 2025 the team switches tyre sponsors from Vittoria, bringing rubber under the Giant umbrella with some unreleased aero tyres from in-house component brand Cadex. These are likely to be a rebadged tyre.
Jayco-AlUla have use of both the TCR and the Propel; however the current generation of Propel is largely one bike to do it all. Released in 2022, the Propel could be due an update, which could see it return to a full-on aero bike making the most of the revised UCI regulations that now govern aero design.Unlike most of the bikes used in the WorldTour, Giant specs its top-of-the-range bikes with a two-piece bar and stem combo. The hoses still run internally through the bar before entering the stem, but with a separate handlebar, the exact angle of the bars can be adjusted to a rider’s preference.The head tube of the Propel is one of the straightest we have seen. There is a modest taper to accommodate the upper and lower headset bearings; nonetheless, compared to others like Intermarché-Wanty’s Cube, this is very subtle. Something that isn’t so subtle is Plapp’s lever position, which looks to be pushing the UCI’s 10º limit on inward brake lever angle.A single 5 mm headset spacer sits under Plapp’s stem. You can just about see the brake hoses enter the frame underneath the stem through a little cutout in this spacer.The Propel paint scheme mimics that of the Jayco-AlUla kit provided by MAAP.Jayco-AlUla is an official Shimano-sponsored team, with the brand providing its Dura-Ace R9200 groupset and R9100 pedals. Plapp has chosen to run the fairly standard Shimano chainring combination of 54/40 with the cranks featuring Shimano’s integrated power meter.At the rear Plapp has paired his 54/40 chainset with Shimano’s 11-34 Dura-Ace cassette, giving a wide spread of gear ratios that was a rarity at the WorldTour level even a few years back. Bolted on to the front derailleur mounting point is a small Fouriers chain catcher to pevent the chain from dropping behind the small ring in the event of a misshift. Cadex is Giant’s in-house premium finishing kit brand, introduced in 2019. Jayco AlUla uses the range-topping Ultra 50 wheelset, which has a 22.4 mm internal rim width matched to a 30 mm external width. The wheels use a hookless design with the 50 mm wheelset weighing a claimed 1,349 grams.Cadex is not new to the world of tyres; the brand has a few offerings across a spectrum of riding applications. What is new is Jayco-AlUla is using Cadex-branded tyres for 2025. It’s the first year of the partnership, and the ones seen on Plapp’s bike are currently not listed on the brand’s website. The Cadex Aero tyre is available only in a 25 mm width (in blackwall) right now, however the team are using a 30 mm version with tan sidewalls.The front hub of the Cadex 50 Ultra makes use of an aggressively asymmetric design. The non-braking side sports almost no flange, with an incredibly low profile, whilst the braking side has a far higher flange design.The base of the Propel Advanced SL fork tapers gradually towards the axle. This allows for the brake caliper to sit in the correct position.The team are using the same bottle cages that come as standard on the commercially available Propel. The Propel Aero bottle cages use a different design for the down tube- and the seat tube-mounted cages. Unlike most other bottle cages in the WorldTour, these are simply made of plastic and weigh 25 grams each. The top tube of the Propel heavily tapers from the head tube back to the junction with the integrated seat post. With no space for it on the side, Plapp’s name sticker sits on the upper side of the top tube.
Luke Plapp’s Giant Propel Advanced SL specs
Frame: Giant Propel Advanced SL
Wheels: Cadex 50 Ultra
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200
Chainset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 54/40 with integrated power meter
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace/XTR M9100
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-R9200 11-34T
Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace BR-R9270
Tyres: Cadex Aero 30 mm, tubeless
Handlebars: Giant Contact SLR Aero two-piece bar and stem
