Aussie stuns le Tour to cement title of ‘fastest man in the world’
Aussie Caleb Ewan admits he was at breaking point before an “incredible” fightback that’s sealed his status as a sprinting terminator.
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Australian rider Caleb Ewan has claimed his second victory in this year’s Tour de France by prevailing in a bunch sprint at the end of a crash-hit 16th stage.
The Lotto Soudal rider beat Italian Elia Viviani and Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen, who took second and third place, respectively at the end of a 177km ride around Nimes as temperatures reached 40C on Tuesday.
Ewan, competing in his first Tour de France, is now the only sprint specialist with two wins this year, having already prevailed on the 11th stage in Toulouse last Wednesday.
His launch from well back in the lead pack with just a few hundred metres to play stunned Tour commentators, with Eurosport Tour expert Sean Kelly labelling him “the fastest man in the world” after witnessing him dart past his rivals in the final 500m.
The former Irish road cyclist said Ewan now looms as a very real threat to win the prestigious final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
“The sprinters, when they get a sniff of the finish line, it’s amazing what they can do,” he told Eurosport.
“We saw Caleb suffering big time in the mountain stages and he said he was suffering here. But when you get to the finish, he can produce that explosive stuff to win a second stage.
“Ewan is the fastest man in the world at the moment. [Elia] Viviani (who finished second with the same time as Ewan) just ran out of legs, really.”
““I think Caleb came from a bit further off, and you could see that Viviani looked across and waited just a second too long before he went for his sprint.
“If he took it up that little bit earlier, he might have pushed him a bit further.”
Stunning sprint finish from @CalebEwan. Powerful effort to fight his way to victory from deep in the pack. Two stage wins on his #TDF debut - incredible. #TDF2019 #sbstdf
— Rob Greenwood (@robgreenwood1) July 23, 2019
It was a euphoric finish to a day of torment for the Aussie.
He admits he was near breaking point during the climb in the middle stage of the stage.
“To be honest, I felt so bad today during the day. I think the heat really got to me,” he said of the 40C temperatures.
“But I have extra motivation today because my wife and daughter are here. I’m so happy I could win for them,” Ewan said.
“I said before it’s a dream to be here, and it was such a big dream to win one stage. Now I’ve won two, I can’t believe it.”
Fellow Australian sprinter Michael Matthew finished sixth in the stage, while Simon Clarke and Richie Porte also crossed the line in the peloton.
Defending champion Geraint Thomas took yet another tumble but escaped unhurt to stay 1:35 behind the overall leader, Julian Alaphilippe of France.
“He’s ok, he fell on his left side. He was checked by the team doctor, it doesn’t seem to be serious,” his Team Ineos sports director Nicolas Portal said.
Thomas crashed when his gears jammed with 130km to go.
Thomas was paced back into the bunch by teammates, with Dylan van Baarle receiving a warning for making a u-turn to return to his team leader. Dane Jakob Fuglsang, who started the day ninth overall, crashed 28.5km from the finish and abandoned the race.
One of the pre-race favourites after winning the Criterium du Dauphine last month, Fuglsang crashed out of the race for the second time in the last three editions.
The Dane’s crash allowed Porte to move in the 10th overall, 6:30 off the lead. As temperatures soared, three-times world champion Peter Sagan said the riders’ association (CPA) did nothing to protect them after failing to trigger the ‘extreme weather protocol’.
“The CPA should do something to protect us, that’s why we pay them,” said Sagan, who leads the points classification.
The International Cycling Union regulations state that the protocol involves convening a meeting between stakeholders, including organisers, riders and teams, when extreme weather conditions are anticipated.
Tuesday’s stage was the sprinters’ last chance to shine before Sunday’s final stage in Paris as the race now heads to the Alps.
Wednesday’s 17th stage is a hilly 200km ride from the Pont du Gard to Gap before the overall contenders battle it out for the title from Thursday to Saturday.
Originally published as Aussie stuns le Tour to cement title of ‘fastest man in the world’