"I tried to surf the wheels as best as I could but it's hard to know which train to follow" - Caleb Ewan looking to bounce back after disappointing opening Giro sprint

For Caleb Ewan, a 13th-place finish in the opening bunch sprint of the 2024 Giro d'Italia marked a disappointing return to Grand Tour sprinting. With stage 4 offering another chance however, the Team Jayco AlUla sprinter is determined to make amends.

"The first few sprints of a Grand Tour are always quite hectic," the experienced Australian reflects ruefully in a pre-stage 4 interview with Eurosport. "Yesterday was very hectic. With that last climb there as well and the breakaway, it was quite unorganised. I was by myself with 1.5km to go and I tried to surf the wheels as best as I could but it's hard to know which train to follow and I got caught out a little bit."

With stage 4 taking Ewan relatively close to his home roads, there is some extra incentive for the five-time Giro stage winner to make an impact in the finale. "I'm looking forward to being back on those roads but it's going to be super hectic once we get down near the coast," he previews. "I know what those roads are like and what the climb before the finish is like as well."

"It's going to be super fast from the top so it will be so important to be in a good position there because after that you're not going to be able to move up much so it'll be a tough finish for sure," Ewan concludes. "The finish line is almost at the top of the last little climb because on the descent it's so fast, there's not much time to move up."