Caleb Ewan leaves Giro d'Italia with eyes on Tour de France

Caleb Ewan will not take to the start of the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia, as Lotto Soudal and the Australian sprinter have decided to call it a race at the start in Parma.

"Together with the team it was decided that Ewan will be heading home," Lotto Soudal shared on social media this morning. The Australian had suffered with a crash on the opening day, and had pointed out that "my hellish Giro got a sequel today" at the end of stage 10, as he suffered throughout the race whenever the peloton rode uphill.

He didn't manage to get a stage win which was his goal for the race, as he was just narrowly beat by Arnaud Démare on stage six and wasn't capable of battling for the win in the remaining sprints. With the Alps drawing near, and the following two stages featuring ascents which would surely put him under difficulty, the decision was made to abandon the race with immediate effect.

Ewan finished yesterday's stage in fifth place, in what was predicted to be his final opportunity to capture a stage win at this year's Giro.

"Following a short period of rest, the sprinter will build up towards his next big goal of the season, the Tour de France, where he will also be targeting victories in the sprint stages," the team confirmed, following the initial plan in the race.