Latest news with #CalebEwan
SBS Australia
07-05-2025
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Caleb Ewan's decision to stop, a Giro preview and Emily Dixon tunes in from Spain
In the latest SBS Cycling Podcast, host Christophe Mallet is joined by Grace Brand and Dave Mckenzie to discuss Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan's retirement. Ewan's career, marked by major victories at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, has left a lasting legacy in the sport. The team explores the emotional and mental challenges he faced, emphasising the importance of mental health and the maturity it takes to step away from elite competition. The conversation then shifts to the excitement of the upcoming Giro d'Italia, starting this Friday. The hosts share their predictions on key riders, including Jai Hindley and Primož Roglič, and highlight the unpredictable nature of the race, where weather can play a crucial role. Twelve Australians are competing.
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Caleb Ewan's retirement leaves us wanting more, which might be the point
Caleb Ewan's Aged just 30, the pocket rocket from Sydney looked to have Two bunch sprints. Two wins. A career reborn? Sadly not, another "what if" in a career that has, unfortunately, been dogged by them. Ewan has — despite managing to resurrect a career that looked to be petering out last season — stuck with a performers golden rule of leaving them wanting more. However, most importantly, there was a sentence in the midst of his unfailingly honest and open retirement statement that hit home more than any other and shows that if the heart is not in it, there's little point in continuing. "What once felt like everything to me no longer does," he wrote. "The truth is that even when I crossed the line first, that feeling — the one you chase for years — faded quicker than it used to." In the furious and frantic world of high-level sprinting, if the heart is not there, then the immeasurable risks are certainly not worth it. Caleb Ewan's extraordinary, unique forward sprinting style earned him 65 career victories. ( Getty Images: Corbis/Tim De Waele ) The timing of this announcement will surprise plenty. Ewan has never been one to conform though. Loading Twitter content When he burst onto the scene as a precocious youngster at the 2015 Herald Sun Tour and the 2016 Tour Down Under, there was nothing orthodox about his sprinting style. Crouched impossibly low over his handlebars, leaning so far forward it looked almost as if he was dragging his bike along behind him, Ewan seemingly popped his way out of the chaos of the charging peloton like a cork from the champagne that would invariably flow soon after he crossed the line. His 65 career victories tell part of his story. The way he won them says the rest. Bouncing behind and through opposition sprint trains, weaving Mark Cavendish-like into minuscule gaps before dropping the power to surge home, Ewan often had to fend for himself, a 165cm will-o'-the-wisp appearing at the front of the pack at the key moment. Ewan used his diminutive size to superb effect, standing as one of the giants of sprinting. Ewan Caleb's (centre) low sprinting style was unique in the professional peloton. ( Getty Images: Kei Tsuji ) Contemporaries André Greipel (183cm), Fabio Jakobsen (181cm), Sam Bennett (178cm), Elia Viviani (177cm), Dylan Groenewegen (177cm) Jasper Phillipsen (176cm) and Mark Cavendish (175cm) all towered over the Sydneysider — not that it mattered when they were on the steps below him on the podium. "For as long as I can remember, my world has revolved around racing," Ewan wrote in his retirement statement. "The intense routine, the sacrifice, the search for constant improvement, the hunger to win — it's been my rhythm, my identity. "The last few years haven't been easy but in 2025 I found something again — not just legs, but belief — thanks to the Ineos Grenadiers. They gave me space, trust, and the environment to rediscover what I am capable of. "I won again. I felt like myself again and I felt respected again. For that, I can't thank them enough." Caleb Ewan returned to winning ways in his first race of the year at the 40th Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. ( Getty Images: Dario Belingheri ) Winning as a sprinter is everything. And winning was something Ewan was good at. He is, after all, one of just 111 riders in the history of the sport who has claimed victory in each of cycling's three grand tours in the 90 years the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España have all co-existed, with five victories at the Tour de France, five at the Giro and one at the Vuelta. He is one of just five, alongside Simon Gerrans, Michael Matthews, Rohan Dennis and, last year, Ben O'Connor, to have done so from Australia. Caleb Ewan earned his first Tour de France stage win in Toulouse by an inch from Dylan Groenewegen. ( Getty Images: Chris Graythen ) And yet there have always been disappointments too. Twice Ewan came agonisingly close to winning the sprinters monument, Milano-Sanremo, finishing behind Jasper Stuyven in 2021 and, in 2018, winning the bunch sprint behind Vincenco Nibali's bold solo win. Earlier in his career, despite his impressive form in the sprints in minor races, it took a move to Lotto Soudal in 2019 before he was given his first crack at the Tour de France. His inclusion was instantly vindicated, winning three stages having also won two at that year's Giro — the first sign of many "what ifs" that may come to define his career. Ewan competed at every Tour between then and 2023, but won his last stage at cycling's most high profile race in 2020. His last grand tour win came the following year at the Giro d'Italia, although he did manage two second place finishes at the Giro and Tour in subsequent seasons. One of Ewan's five Tour de France wins came on the historic Champs-Élysées. ( Getty Images: Justin Setterfield ) Those diminishing returns led to a total breakdown in trust between himself and the Belgian team, prompting a move back to GreenEdge. There, things went from bad to worse. At the 2024 Giro, where Ewan finished no higher than sixth in bunch sprints, GreenEdge allowed German rider Max Walscheid — Ewan's lead-out man following Luka Mezgec's withdrawal — to sprint against him. "My experiences of the past two seasons, in particular the second half of 2024, has taken a significant toll on my relationship with the sport," Ewan said in his statement. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. "I'm happy I didn't let that period define the end of my career and I am proud of what I achieved in a short but successful time with the Ineos Grenadiers." What he did achieve, those two wins against a questionable standard of opposition at the Itzulia Basque Country and the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, offered a glimpse at a revival. But, instead, we're left with another what if — albeit from the entirely understandable position of not wanting to go on if his heart is not in it. Cycling commentator Matthew Keenan told ABC Sport in Adelaide earlier this year that he "would hate for him [Ewan] to finish his career thinking that he's left anything on the table". Whether he did leave any major wins on the table will be one of the great unknowns. But given that from his perspective the cupboard was well and truly bare, one cannot fault his choice. The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Australian cycling star Caleb Ewan announces retirement with imediate effect
Australian cycling star Caleb Ewan has retired from the sport, effective immediately, only a few months after joining a new professional team. Ewan delivered his bombshell decision on social media, saying events in the past two years — especially around his messy exit from top Australian team Jayco AlUla — had "taken a significant toll on my relationship with the sport". The 30-year-old sprint ace started this year without a team and it looked as though his career could end prematurely. He then claimed a UCI World Tour-level win last month and appeared to be back on track. Photo shows Caleb Ewan signs his name before starting a stage Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan is looking forward to continuing his career at Ineos Grenadiers after being put in a "pretty shitty situation" at Jayco AlUla. Writing on X, Ewan described his career as "a wild ride". "The last few years haven't been easy, but in 2025 I found something again — not just legs, but belief — thanks to the INEOS Grenadiers," Ewan wrote. "They gave me space, trust and the environment to rediscover what I am capable of. I won again. "But the truth is that even when I crossed the line first, that feeling — the one you chase for years — faded quicker than it used to. "My experiences of the last seasons, in particular the second half of 2024, has taken a significant toll on my relationship with the sport. I'm glad I didn't let that period define the end of my career." Ewan's woes can be traced back to 2021, when he was at the peak of his powers and one of road cycling's premier sprinters. He publicly declared his bold ambition that season to win stages in each of cycling's Grand Tours, and he was on track, with two in the Giro d'Italia. But Ewan crashed at the end of stage four in the Tour de France and suffered a broken collarbone that needed surgery. While he returned to racing a few weeks later, he was never the same rider. He left Belgian team Lotto Dstny in strained circumstances at the end of 2023 and returned to Jayco AlUla, where he started his professional career. But that did not go well and in early January it suddenly became apparent that Ewan's profile had disappeared from the team website. Photo shows Jay Vine on the podium with other placegetters at Tour de Romandie. Jay Vine takes another major step on his remarkable comeback to professional cycling by making the podium in third place at one of Europe's top stage races. By the end of the month, he had signed with INEOS Grenadiers. Ewan has had a rich cycling career, with five stage wins at the Tour de France and another five at the Giro d'Italia. He was also runner-up twice at Milano-Sanremo, one of cycling's five one-day monuments and a major career goal that Ewan never quite cracked. Ewan won nine stages at Adelaide's Tour Down Under. "Over the course of my 11-year career, I've achieved more than I ever imagined possible," Ewan wrote. "The journey has exceeded every expectation I once had and I'm deeply grateful. "But what once felt like everything to me no longer does." AAP
Japan Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Tour de France sprint specialist Caleb Ewan retires from cycling at age 30
FILE - Australia's Caleb Ewan celebrates on the podium after winning the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 128 kilometers (79.53 miles) with start in Rambouillet and finish in Paris, France, July 28, 2019. (Stephane Mantey, Pool Photo via AP, file) cycling Sprint specialist Caleb Ewan on Tuesday ended his cycling career that peaked with five Tour de France stage wins including one on the Champs-Élysées. The 30-year-old Australian's surprise announcement came despite reviving his results this season with British team Ineos Grenadiers. 'I felt like myself again and I felt respected again,' Ewan wrote in a farewell message on his Instagram account. 'For that, I can't thank them enough.' Ewan won three stages in the 2019 Tour, including the final stage in Paris, and two more the next year. He also had five career stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and one at the Spanish Vuelta. He was twice runner-up in the Milan-San Remo one-day classic, the closest he came to winning a Monument race. Ewan said he was leaving cycling on his own terms after falling a little out of love with the sport that 'once felt like everything to me.' 'The truth is that even when I crossed the line first, that feeling — the one you chase for years — faded quicker than it used to,' he wrote on Instagram. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NBC Sports
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Tour de France sprint specialist Caleb Ewan retires at age 30
MONACO — Sprint specialist Caleb Ewan ended his cycling career that peaked with five Tour de France stage wins including one on the Champs-Élysées. The 30-year-old Australian's surprise announcement came despite reviving his results this season with British team Ineos Grenadiers. 'I felt like myself again and I felt respected again,' Ewan wrote in a farewell message on his Instagram account. 'For that, I can't thank them enough.' Ewan won three stages in the 2019 Tour, including the final stage in Paris, and two more the next year. He also had five career stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and one at the Spanish Vuelta. He twice was a runner-up in the Milan-San Remo one-day classic, the closest he came to winning a Monument race. Ewan said he was leaving cycling on his own terms after falling a little out of love with the sport that 'once felt like everything to me.' 'The truth is that even when I crossed the line first, that feeling — the one you chase for years — faded quicker than it used to,' he wrote on Instagram.
