05/01/2024

"Caleb Ewan's in the prime of his career" - Matt White full of praise for Team Jayco AlUla's returning sprint star

It only took five days for Caleb Ewan to return to winning ways upon his return to Team Jayco AlUla after five years away as the Australian took victory at his National Criterium Championships in Ballarat.

“It’s a nice way to get the season underway," admits Team Jayco AlUla's Director of High Performance and Racing, Matt White, in conversation with GCN. “We gelled really well today and rode a tactically astute criterium. Caleb has slipped back into the team and it doesn’t actually feel like he’s even left. It’s been good and we’re looking forward to taking on a World Tour field very soon."

Caleb Ewan takes his first win for Team Jayco AlUla - 'Pocket Rocket' wins Australian criterium national championships

Once arguably the most feared sprinter in the whole of the peloton, Ewan's form has dropped off somewhat in recent seasons, culminating in a very public spat with Lotto Dstny bosses following his abandon at the 2023 Tour de France which ultimately led to his departure from the team and his return to his roots. After victory in the criterium, Ewan is hoping for more success on home roads at the National Championship road race and then the Tour Down Under.

“Caleb has three stages for sure to target in the race but back in the day when he’d take on nationals and the Bay Crits, he’d come into the Tour Down Under with three or four wins under his belt. Sprinting is about confidence and timing and it’s an advantage that we have some competition before the race," White analyses.

"The one that I've got my eye on and the one I dream of winning" - Caleb Ewan wants Australian national jersey after criterium victory

Alongside Ewan, White is also very proud of the leadout train the team have assembled. "He’ll have Kelland O'Brien and Campbell Stewart, who are both doing track World Cups after Tour Down Under, as his lead-out riders, so they already have that form and intensity," he explains.

"They’re both looking forward to leading out one of the world’s best sprinters," White concludes, in no doubt that Ewan is still in that category. “With Caleb, he may have been around a while but he’s still only 29. I think he wants to show the world that he’s in the prime of his career and the best way to do that is by winning on the biggest stage.”