"The planets aligned because Ineos didn’t have a sprinter" - Caleb Ewan's agent explains how surprising transfer came to be

Caleb Ewan's agent Jason Bakker has explained why the 'Pocket Rocket' joined INEOS Grenadiers, a miracle transfer that came as a result of several coincidences, and played a huge role in preventing the Australian sprinter from retiring at the end of 2024.

“The opportunity arose for him to seek a new team and that is absolutely not an easy task at this time of year. The planets aligned because Ineos didn’t have a sprinter," Bakker told Cyclingnews. "Does he want to play a role as a sprinter at Ineos? Bloody oath he does. He literally signed the contract and jumped in the car to go to Spain for the team training camp".

Ewan had a contract with Team Jayco AlUla until 2025, but as the year began, he was removed from the team's website. Unconfirmed reports suggest that there was a mutual agreement to break his contract at the end of 2024 so that he would join a different team, but the transfer ultimately did not happen, leaving Ewan without a contract. After struggling for a few seasons, and having had two recent transfers on bad terms, it seemed like retirement was a possibility.

“It was over the period of late last year and Christmas that Caleb Ewan had a lot of time to reflect – to think about the way forward and if there was a way forward. It could have been retirement but the reality is that it was not the way he wanted to finish," Bakker explained. "He has still got ambition and motivation.”

His words on how quickly Ewan was onboard with the transfer and joined the team in Spain is a positive sign, and the truth is he will be the undisputed sprinter of the team, after the departure of Elia Viviani - who himself no longer brought victories at a high level.