Emotional day for outcast Caleb Ewan who proved doubters wrong with a dominant sprint: "This means a lot..."
Cycling
When Caleb Ewan was outcast from Jayco AlUla (his then team) at the end of the season after leaving Lotto on bad terms a year earlier, not many managers would be willing to bet on the seemingly extinguished sprinter star.
The more did cycling experts and fans alike shook their heads when the rumours spread of INEOS Grenadiers offering a safety net to the Pocket Rocket. However the British has noticed that there is still some spark left in Ewan, who rewarded the team for their trust with a victory on his first race day with the new team.
"There’s no better way [to start]," Ewan said at the line on Tuesday. "I came in knowing my form was pretty good, but when you haven’t raced for so long you have no gauge of where you at."
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"This means a lot. The last few months have been hard... it’s the longest time that I’ve gone with no racing in my career, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect," said Ewan, who has been on the sidelines since last September. "I’m just happy that the team gave me so much support and did an amazing job," Ewan said.
No, stage win at 2.1 Italian stage race Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali by far doesn't rank among Ewan's most prestigious victories, but it might as well be the one he'll value the most.
Did he get exclusive leadout? Yes. Was the competition adequate to his reputation? Probably no. Confidence levels? Through the roof.
And it's important for Ewan to regain faith in his own abilities after he was doubted by many in past years, himself included...
In INEOS, he can rely on having absolute support in any sprint stage. Sprints are historically not quite the cup of tea of the British team, yet the support structure for any sprinter is there, just as Kim Heiduk and Ben Swift proved today...
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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