Caleb Ewan in form and targeting Milano-Sanremo win

The Lotto Soudal rider has tested himself once more this weekend at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne where he has shown good form and a lot of speed in the sprint, as he is set to take his preparation all the way into Milano-Sanremo, Caleb Ewan's first main goal of the season.

“My participation at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was a bit of a last-minute call up, so I wasn’t exactly preparing for this race. But again, I am really happy with where my form is at. Although I suffered as well and the pace was high on the climbs, I always felt pretty comfortable. So I can’t be disappointed with this second place. Now I’m heading to Tirreno-Adriatico to do the ultimate preparations for my first big goal of the season, Milano-Sanremo," Ewan said after the finish of Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne.

After ilness took him out of his original plans of racing the UAE Tour, the Australian decided to race close to home at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var where he showed good form and won the opening stage. At the opening weekend, Ewan raced the more sprinter-friendly of the classics and was close to the win, having raced perfectly but just barely missing out on glory due to a remarkable sprint by Fabio Jakobsen.

“We had to spend a lot of energy to reel the remaining escapees back in. Frederik and Cedric did some amazing work at the front, but that way I only had Jasper with me in the final kilometre. Jasper still did a great job, but with just the two of us, it would always be hard to manage such a hectic final. Nevertheless, he guided me through and then I had to do my own thing at the end. I turned that last corner really far back so I knew I needed a really good run to the line to step onto the podium or to get the win. I guess I got lucky coming on the right side of the road, but I lacked the kick to beat Fabio today," he added. After surviving the climbs in the peloton, Lotto Soudal played to their advantage by collaborating with other teams with similar ambitions of bringing every back to a sprint. After a long afternoon of work in the streets of Flandres, the catch was made in sight of the line where he finished a close second place.

Caleb Ewan will ride Tirreno-Adriatico in the coming week where he will have at least two opportunities to take stage wins in a sprint. Milano-Sanremo is a race where he has performed greatly over the last few years, and Lotto Soudal will once again try to seal a long-awaited win for the Australian.