Caleb Ewan confirms he won't complete Giro d'Italia, opens possibility of riding Vuelta

It comes as no surprise to know Lotto Soudal's Caleb Ewan will not be finishing the Giro d'Italia, however before the start of the race he's talked about his plan for the season, which may include a presence at the Vuelta a España.

The Australian has started the Giro five times, but has never finished it - highly due to the brutal nature of the Giro's traditional final week of racing, packed with high-mountain stages and very few opportunities for the sprinters. He has confirmed that finishing the Corsa Rosa isn't in his plans for this year, and has justified: "It is not possible to finish the Giro all the way if you also want to be in top form at the start of the Tour de France at the beginning of July,”

Ewan will also be racing the Tour de France in search of stage wins, and he isn't willing to sacrifice his form for the Tour in order to have - the possibility - of little gains. “When do I leave Italy? I didn’t put an exact date on it, but anyway before the start of the tough last week," he said. "Otherwise, you have to dig too deep into your reserves. As soon as I feel that I am getting less, I get out.”

Ewan was a top contender to win the opening stage, and was in contention for the win until a crash in the final hundred meters as he touched wheels with Biniam Girmay. The Australian was disappointed, but seemingly uninjured with the fall - which means he should be able to contest the coming sprint stages.

However, he told reporters that there is also a possibility of him starting all three Grand Tours this year: “Let’s start with Giro and Tour. Suppose I can win a stage in both, we will see if the Vuelta can also fit into my program;" he concluded - taking into consideration the Belgian team is likely to be with serious issues in maintaining their World Tour status.

The only time he raced the Vuelta a España was in 2015, his Grand Tour debut, where he took his first win in a three-week race.