Ewan powers to dream win

AUSSIE Caleb Ewan has dedicated the biggest win of his life to his wife and newborn daughter after an emotional triumph at the Tour de France.

Ewan fulfilled a lifelong dream and met years of expectation when he desperately lunged on the line to edge out Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen at the end of Stage 11.

The Sydney-born pocket rocket let out a huge roar after coming to a stop, overcome after finishing third, third, second and third in his four previous sprint attempts in this year’s race.

“To be honest, I can’t believe it. I’ve been close in the last four sprints I’ve done, and my team never lost faith in me,” Ewan said.

“I never lost faith in my sprint. I knew if everything came together then I can be the fastest on the day, and I think today I showed that.”

Ewan’s thoughts quickly turned to his wife Ryann and daughter Lily, who was born prematurely last month back home in Monaco.

“I have to thank my wife so much for being so supportive. I left home with my daughter still in hospital,” Ewan said.

“It was a really tough time leading up to the Tour. My daughter was in hospital for one month leading up to this and it was so hard leaving her because I didn’t get to take her home.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do — come to a race and leave my daughter in hospital — and I’m just so happy that I could repay my new family with such a big thing and I’m so grateful they let me come here and realise my dream.”

Ewan, who turned 25 last week, has now won a stage in all three grand tours after success at the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana.

But this was the big one, and it didn’t come easily in a crashmarred stage. Richie Porte hit the road hard with 30km remaining in a crash that took down several riders, but was able to rejoin the peloton.

Ewan is the first Australian to win a stage of the Tour de France since Michael Matthews saluted on Stage 16 two years ago. He was hugged by Aussie sprinting legend Robbie McEwen in the middle of his press conference.