POCKET ROCKET FIRES TO VICTORY
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,” Ewan said.
“My team never lost faith in me, I never lost faith in my sprint. I knew if everything came together then I could 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 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.”
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.
It didn’t come easily in a crash-marred stage.
When Ewan lost lead-out man Jasper De Buyst to a crash inside the last 10km it looked like another near-miss was on the cards.
“He was right in front of me when he crashed.
“But I stayed calm and (teammate) Roger Kluge came back for me, he really brought me to the front and put me on Groenewegen’s wheel, so without him I couldn’t have won,” he said.