Caleb Ewan was the subject of much heavy criticism, even from within his own team after deciding to step off his bike on stage 13 of the 2023 Tour de France. Now, it seems as if Lotto Dstny wish to cut ties with the Aussie sprinter.
“We have had no discussions regarding mid-season transfers. I think most teams have their plans in place for 2024 and as such the ability for any team to cater for a mid-season transfer, I would have thought, is highly unlikely," Ewan's agent, Jason Bakker tells Velo. “The other key aspect of this is that it’s not on Caleb’s radar. With an ounce of luck he could have one and maybe two stage wins in the Tour de France and, if that was the case, would we be having this conversation now?”
Finishing 3rd on stage 3 and 2nd on stage 4, Ewan was there or thereabouts in the early stages of the Tour de France before fading drastically and ultimately calling it a day on the aforementioned stage 13. “Even though he didn’t finish the Tour I think Caleb showed in the early sprints that he is still as fast as any sprinter in the peloton,” says Bakker. “With Jasper de Buyst crashing early and carrying an injury and then Jacopo Guarnieri also crashing out early it meant Caleb effectively lost his main leadout guys."
“So I think he did a stellar job under the circumstances in those early sprints. I’m not sure what all that translates into. I guess it’s fair to say we are very focused on Caleb getting back to his very best form and returning to his winning ways, which I have no doubt he will do," he concludes. “He has won a lot of races for Lotto-Dstny in his time there. Whether he is with them in 2024 or elsewhere, I know that we’ll see Caleb winning regularly again because that’s what he is — a winner.”