Caleb Ewan narrowly misses victory in first Tour Down Under stage
To be honest, I was a bit surprised to be that close to the win, as I thought that I was way too far to be in contention. It’s of course disappointing with the legs I had but I am pretty happy about my form and sprint.
“I lost a couple of teammates in a crash, but Jarrad Drizners did a good job in the final, until his chain came off in the last descent. So I was alone in the end, but managed to keep a pretty good position in a sketchy final kilometres. I was in a good position until about one kilometre to go but the lead-outs in front ran out of guys and I got swamped a bit. I was way too far back and to be honest, I thought the stage was gone. That I was able to come this close to victory in the end, really surprised me. There’s a few more chances coming up this week so we’ll definitely give it another shot”, concludes Caleb Ewan.
28-year-old sprinter Caleb Ewan finished second in the first stage of the Tour Down Under, narrowly missing out on victory in a thrilling bunch sprint in Tanunda. Despite being surprised by his close race for the win, Ewan expressed satisfaction with his form and sprint.
The challenging local course around Tanunda featured Menglers Hill as the main difficulty. The pace and nervousness increased on the final time up the hill, but it ultimately came down to a bunch sprint in Tanunda. Ewan was supported well by his teammates, including Jarrad Drizners who unfortunately faced mechanical issues near the finish. Ewan launched a powerful sprint on the slightly uphill finish, coming in just half a wheel short of his tenth win Down Under.
Reflecting on the race, Ewan shared, “I lost a couple of teammates in a crash, but Jarrad Drizners did a good job in the final, until his chain came off in the last descent. So I was alone in the end, but managed to keep a pretty good position in a sketchy final kilometers. I was in a good position until about one kilometer to go but the lead-outs in front ran out of guys and I got swamped a bit. I was way too far back and to be honest, I thought the stage was gone. That I was able to come this close to victory in the end, really surprised me.”
Ewan remains optimistic as there are still several more opportunities to compete for victory in the upcoming stages of the Tour Down Under.
Image: Photo News
