Aussie star Caleb Ewan quits Mitchelton-Scott, links with famed sprint team Lotto Soudal

AUSTRALIA’S sprinting boy wonder Caleb Ewan has confirmed he will leave Mitchelton-Scott for Lotto Soudal after he was left devastated by the Aussie outfit’s 2018 Tour de France snub.

CALEB Ewan has confirmed the worst-kept secret in cycling - he will leave Mitchelton-Scott for Lotto Soudal on a two-year deal.

Australia’s sprinting boy wonder will officially part ways with Australia’s World Tour team at the end of the year to explore a fresh start with the Belgian outfit.

Ewan’s 28-win, four-year stint with Mitchelton-Scott has had a sour ending, with the sprinter devastated he was dumped from the team’s Tour de France line-up only a fortnight before this year’s race.

But with Mitchelton-Scott making no secret of their desire to transition from opportunists to general classification contenders, Ewan’s move is seen as a win for both parties.

At 24, Ewan steps into a Lotto Soudal team as the immediate replacement for decorated German veteran Andre Greipel and the team’s undisputed leader for the world’s biggest sprint-finish races.

It's official - @CalebEwan to leave @MitcheltonSCOTT at the end of the year, joining @Lotto_Soudal on a 2-year deal."I do feel the path Mitchelton Scott are now on isn't suited to me, but I have nothing but appreciation & respect for the riders and organisation."Win-win for mine

— Sam Edmund (@SammyHeraldSun) August 8, 2018

“For me, the decision to take this path with Lotto Soudal has been a logical one if you take the emotion out of it, but we have much hard work ahead to make sure it becomes the perfect match,” Ewan said.

LE TOUR: Porte slams Mitchelton-Scott for Ewan snub

Devastated is an understatement of how I feel about @MitcheltonSCOTT’s decision to leave me at home this July. I was on track to being more than ready for my TDF debut. So much hard work has gone into this from my sprint team and I to be ready for our big goal this year.

— Caleb Ewan (@CalebEwan) June 21, 2018

“I do feel the path Mitchelton-Scott are now on is one not suited to me, but I have nothing but appreciation and respect for the riders and entire organisation. I have learnt and experienced so much during the past four years, I have many lifelong friends there and I am sincerely grateful to them.”

Ewan has won a stage at the Vuelta a Espana (2015), the Giro d’Italia (2017) and saluted seven times at the Tour Down Under, but found himself squeezed out by Mitchelton-Scott’s three Grand Tour contenders, Adam and Simon Yates and Esteban Chaves.

In Lotto Soudal he joins a team without a noted GC contender and a history of devoting strong support to its sprinters and classics specialists.

“The opportunity to join Lotto Soudal was for me an important and incredibly exciting one,” Ewan said.

“I spent many hours as a youngster marvelling at Robbie McEwen’s victories. More recently I can only say I have nothing but enormous respect for Andre Greipel, what he achieved as a rider and what he stood for as a person. But now together with Lotto Soudal I hope to write an exciting, new chapter.

Caleb Ewan will leave Mitchelton-Scott to join Lotto Soudal on a two-year deal. Picture: AFP

“There’s not one team that currently dominates the sprints, but Lotto Soudal possesses both the experience and the desire to again build a very strong team for sprints.”

Lotto Soudal sports manager Marc Sergeant said Ewan ticked all the boxes.

“Internally, we have spoken extensively about the era after André Greipel. That moment is now. Once again, we opted for a sprinter with potential, just like we did with Andre in 2011,” Sergeant said.

“During the conversations Caleb and I had, I noticed how smart and likeable he is, but he is also someone who clearly knows what he wants. At a very young age, he showed to be capable of winning stages in Grand Tours, with his unique style.

“He is an extremely talented sprinter, so that will become the main focus. Over the years, we will see what he can achieve in certain Classics, but if you finish second in Milan – Sanremo 2018, you definitely have the capacity and technical skills.”