"This performance gives me confidence for the chances to come" - Caleb Ewan takes positives from third place in Bayonne

Caleb Ewan is a rider who frequently struggles with positioning, and the Tour de France may just be the strongest field all year long when it comes to the sprinters. However, the Pocket Rocket has ridden quite well on the first sprint of the race, finishing third.

“This performance gives me confidence for the chances to come. The legs felt good and if I can start my sprint from a better position, that win is coming soon. As expected, this was a really nervous one but we did well with the team," Ewan said in a post-race interview. The Australian managed to position himself quite well towards the finale, despite missing key leadout man Jasper de Buyst who has been injured in a crash over the weekend. 

Ewan, who is pursuing his first Grand Tour stage win since the 2021 Giro, was well positioned into the sprint and had a strong final kick which saw him rise to third place, behind only Jasper Philipsen and Phil Bauhaus. "The level here is really high and almost every top sprinter is present. So it was an enormous battle for the best positions," he acknowledges.

"Of course we missed Jasper at the very end but we had to change plans today and did well. It was a hectic sprint but I felt really good. I was maybe a little too far back when I started my sprint but we have to take the positives from today. With this form, I feel there will be some nice things to come." Today's finale into Nogaro will be a new opportunity, where he hopes to succeed in what would be a very important win.