ProTeam Caleb Ewan strikes again at the Giro d’Italia
Two days after his stage win in Cattolica, Lotto Soudal rider Caleb Ewan was again victorious in the Giro d’Italia. After a technical final in Termoli and impressive lead-out work of Jasper De Buyst, Ewan sprinted to his second stage victory in this Giro. This brings Ewan’s tally to eleven Grand Tour stage victories.
“The run-up to the sprint was really hectic and it felt like the sprint already started from the bottom of the short ramp in the penultimate kilometre”, says Caleb Ewan. “So, it really was crucial to be up there right at the front. Because if you have to hit the brakes on that climb, it takes so much energy out of you to accelerate again. So, I asked my teammates to bring me into a good position at the bottom of the steep ramp. But they did so much more. Not only did they bring me to the front just perfectly, Jasper De Buyst was really impressive. He made sure I could save a lot of valuable energy I’d need for my final sprint. So I am very happy that I was able to finish the job. This kind of finishes suits me perfectly because of my size.”
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Between Notaresco and Termoli, the riders faced a hilly course. However, with a predominantly flat final, stage seven was destined to be one for the sprinters. A technical and tricky final awaited, but once again Caleb Ewan was kept at the front by his Lotto Soudal teammates. After Jasper De Buyst did an amazing job in the final kilometres, Gaviria launched a surprise attack. Caleb Ewan closed the gap, outsprinted the Colombian and took a second stage win at this year’s Giro!
Caleb Ewan: “Maybe I was even a little too close to the front in the final, but obviously it’s better this way. To be honest, I was expecting an early attack from Gaviria, but I thought it would be on the steep ramp. When he attacked, I didn’t go full, but I rather used the Colombian as a target. I jumped on his wheel but kept some distance in the slipstream. With a few hundred metres to go, I then launched my sprint. It just went perfectly and I’m really happy with this second stage win.”
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After his second stage win in this Giro, Caleb Ewan also takes over the points jersey from Giacomo Nizzolo.
“It’s the first time I will be wearing a points jersey in a Grand Tour and it really is a big honour to represent the maglia ciclamino. I’ll try to keep it as long as possible, but we’ll take it one day at a time. There are also some mountain stages coming up, so it will be nice to wear this jersey and enjoy it without the stress of upcoming bunch sprints”, Caleb Ewan concluded.
Images: Photo News.