"I would not hire Caleb Ewan" - Johan Bruyneel believes INEOS Grenadiers is taking big risk in signing the 'Pocket Rocket'

Cycling
Monday, 27 January 2025 at 10:53
ineosgrenadiers 661c1ae292da34

Caleb Ewan had a contract with Team Jayco AlUla until 2025 but just like it had happened previously with Lotto, the 'Pocket Rocket' terminated his contract prematurely. He signed with INEOS Grenadiers who were in need of a sprinter, but Johan Bruyneel believes this is a risky move.

"I don't know much about it, I heard the rumours, now finally they're confirmed. It's a bit strange, INEOS need riders who can win races right? They don't have that many riders who can win races, they have good riders but you know..." Bruyneel said in The Move podcast. "I don't know him personally but the information I have about Caleb Ewan from his time at Lotto and talking with some people in the peloton, I'm not a fan of".

In the 2010's the Australian won a lot, and also had the ability to ride short efforts very well which separated him from many of the sprinters. Nowadays that is no longer the case, but in the bunch sprints he also lost his ability to take big wins."His best days are behind, at one moment when he was on form he was really really fast, but as I said he's not a team player, never seen him do anything for the team," Bruyneel argues.

Bruyneel recalls an episode from the 2023 Tour de France where Ewan's status within the team definitely took a big hit. "I think we've talked about it in a former podcast when in the Tour de France he was dropped then he made two teammates wait and dropped out. I've heard he's not easy to manage. Apparently it's something that's changed with him the last few years, but I hope it works out for him, that it works out for INEOS, but I would not hire Caleb Ewan".

But despite what's happened before, the Belgian pundit thinks that Ewan is very unlikely to show the level he had in the past. "I also think it's going to be difficult to get back to the level he was, it's been a few years since he was super good at Milano-Sanremo, the sport evolves faster and faster and I've been told that he's not a great fan of a lot of training, that's not really good when you're a professional cyclist nowadays".

"I think the relationship with Lotto was very bad at the end and that's why he left and they loved to see him go, they even payed to have him go. Went back to Jayco, you would say okay Australian team back to the roots [...] That doesn't seem to have worked out, the relationship within the team, with him and teammates was far from ideal I've been told. Hopefully at INEOS he gets his head clear again and gets motivated".

claps 4visitors 3

Just in

Popular news

Latest comments