Australian sprint star Caleb Ewan confirmed for Tour Down Under shootout with world’s best

AUSTRALIAN sprinting star Caleb Ewan is set for a shootout with the world’s best in Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel in Adelaide after confirming he will return to the Tour Down Under in January.

Caleb Ewan at this year’s Giro d’Italia where he won Stage 7. Picture: Luk Benies (AFP).

AUSTRALIAN sprinting star Caleb Ewan is set for a shootout with the world’s best in Peter Sagan and Andre Greipel in Adelaide after confirming he will return to the Tour Down Under in January.

Ewan dominated this year’s race by winning four stages and the opening night classic where he had the edge over two-time world champion Sagan.

With Sagan also returning to the season-opening WorldTour race and Greipel making his first appearance in Adelaide since 2014, the 20th edition of the TDU promises to be a showdown for the ages.

“(It) is one of the biggest races in Australia and being Australian, racing there, I’m very motivated to do well in my home race,” Ewan said.

“The sprint field is a lot better than it’s been in the past two years so it’s definitely going to be challenging.

“Obviously, I’d like to repeat what I did last year, but it’s going to be hard to win four stages and the People’s Choice again.

Ewan was untouchable in this year’s Tour Down Under, winning four stages and the People’s Choice Classic on the opening night. Picture: Sarah Reed.

“There’s probably only three stages that really suit sprinters in the 2018 Tour Down Under, and then there may be a fourth depending on how it is raced.

“Looking at the profiles, the first two stages and last stage suit me best and then maybe the third stage if it is a more negative race.”

After taking all before him in Adelaide this year, Ewan went on to win a stage of the Giro d’Italia and finish 10th in Milan-San Remo.

Ewan’s team Orica-Scott will on Monday confirm the 23-year-old’s summer race program which will also include the national championships in Ballarat where he will defend his criterium title, and the Race Melbourne on Australia Day eve as part of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race event.

“Wearing the green and gold at any point is really an honour. We don’t do a lot of crits so I haven’t been able to wear the green and gold a lot for the past two years, so it would really be a dream to wear it on the road,” Ewan said of the national championships.

“(And) Race Melbourne has a lot of potential. It’s purely targeted to the sprinters and should continue to attract some big names. It’s right in the centre of the city and the twilight timing in 2018 should add another great atmosphere lift.”

The 2018 TDU will be held from January 13-21 and will again include an international women’s race.

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Originally published as Australian sprint star Caleb Ewan confirmed for Tour Down Under shootout with world’s best