Latest news with #CalebEwan
SBS Australia
07-07-2025
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Sprinting into drama (Stage 3)
It was a very chaotic Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France, with crashes marring the final sprint, and a fall for green jersey leader Jasper Philipsen putting him out of the race. While most of the stage was a quiet one, the drama came in the notable crashes around the sprints. Christophe, Macka, and Caleb Ewan captured the grit and unpredictability of the day, reflecting on the main incidents during racing, and the aftermath of the big falls.
SBS Australia
06-07-2025
- Climate
- SBS Australia
One plus one equals two for Alpecin Deceuninck (Stage 2)
Stage two of the 2025 Tour de France was a wet and wild affair, with rain hammering the peloton from the start. Christophe, Macka, and Caleb Ewan captured the grit and unpredictability of the day, reflecting on how extreme weather tested both nerves and legs across the longest stage of the race. The mood shifted as the skies cleared late in the day, setting up a high-speed sprint finish. Caleb noted how certain riders seemed unfazed by the chaos, gliding through the finale with calm precision, while others were clearly feeling the toll of two gruelling days. It's been two days in a row where I'm happy I wasn't riding because they set off for the longest stage in heavy rain. Caleb Ewan Teamwork and adaptability were central themes of the day, as riders juggled survival and support roles in the tough conditions. With stage three on the horizon and a flatter profile ahead, the team looked forward to a classic sprinters' showdown—if the weather holds.
SBS Australia
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
#EXCLUSIVE: Caleb Ewan in his own words
In the latest episode of our podcast, Christophe, Macka, and Keeno sat down with Caleb Ewan , one of the most recognisable sprinters in modern cycling and a five-time Tour de France stage winner. While his reputation as a fierce competitor precedes him, the conversation revealed a more personal side as he opened up about his recent and somewhat unexpected retirement from professional cycling at the age of 31. I think if I was 38 or 39, it's a much easier decision to make. Caleb shared that the decision to step away wasn't easy. He recounted the emotional journey that led him there, marked by both professional tensions and the mental toll of high expectations. Despite the challenges, he was able to end on a high note, winning his final race, a moment he described as deeply satisfying and a fitting farewell to a demanding career. Winning made it more clear that it was the right decision to make. The discussion also explored how the sprinting landscape has evolved during Caleb's time in the peloton. He noted the rise of younger, stronger talents and how the physical and mental demands have become more intense. This heightened competition, he said, makes longevity in the sport increasingly difficult, especially for sprinters who rely on maintaining razor-sharp form. The level of sprinting now is so high. Now that he is embracing life after cycling, Caleb spoke about the relief of leaving behind the constant scrutiny and regaining time for his family, something he often sacrificed in pursuit of success. Though he admits to some uncertainty about what comes next, he's eager to rediscover himself beyond the bike. His reflections provide a rare and honest glimpse into the emotional realities of stepping away from elite sport. It's the first time in my life where I'm not focusing on trying to ride a bike faster.
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. 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