No legs for Caleb Ewan at Tour Down Under sprint: "I can't blame my teammates"

Tuesday, 16 January 2024 at 12:30

Caleb Ewan is having quite a busy start to the season. He won the criterium national championships in Australia, but fell ill only days before the Tour Down Under. He did make it to the race start and was in contention for victory on the first stage, however he did not have the legs ultimately.

"It was hot, phew. I thought it was a strange day, because they held it together for so long before the sprint. My legs were fine, but my heart rate was constantly very high," Ewan admit in a post-race interview. "That's normal with the heat, but I hope I can improve as the race progresses." The heat was present on a day where the pace was calm. Team Jayco AlUla had strong positioning over the last 10 kilometers with Luke Plapp putting in a big stint at the front, but the team was then swarmed in the key locations.

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However, with no technical features present, Ewan managed to find a great position in the wheel of Sam Welsford ahead of the final sprint. He was the first to kick it to the finish and seemed to have the speed initially, however he sat up a few meters from the line, unable to maintain the speed. At the end, a fourth place for the 'Pocket Rocket'.

"I can't blame my teammates, they helped me perfectly," Ewan thanks. However, it is not a result that satisfies Ewan, even if his presence in the race was at risk until very recently. "I was on Sam's wheel, but I simply couldn't get out. I knew that could be the case, but I can take positive things with me to the next sprint stage"