Glenn Moore / AAP News
Image: Tirreno Adriatico
The Glasgow 2014 Team Member continues his stellar start to the 2022 season to win the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.
Glasgow 2014 Team Member Caleb Ewan has survived mechanical issues to win his third stage of the season with a late dash in the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.
The Australian, riding for Lotto Soudal, broke in the last few yards to win a sprint finish in the Umbrian town of Terni.
He came from behind on the cobblestoned incline to steal victory from Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Olav Kooij.
“I’ve been coming here for a few years now, but I always seem to have bad luck or bad form. It’s definitely always a race that I want to win at so I’m super happy with how today went,” Ewan said after the 170km stage from Murlo, in Tuscany.
The 27-year-old had bad luck again, forced to stop for a chain problem, a bike change, and a handlebar issue, but was able to return to the peloton with 80 kilometres to go and manoeuvre into position for the sprint.
“I saw Arnaud with one teammate left and they still looked quite good, so I was on his wheel, and they seemed to go at the right moment. I just knew I had to be top three or four in that last corner and a finish like that suits me when it’s slightly uphill and a hard drag to the line.”
Ewan’s 55th success came after a breakaway quartet that included Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) had been chased down with 10km to go.
“I had to use a lot of guys, a lot of my teammates, with that late attack because you can’t give those guys so much time,” said Ewan.
“I used a lot of guys there and I knew that if I was on my own and I could follow the right wheels that I’d know what to do at the finish. So that’s what I did, I committed my guys to bringing it back and then I could finish it off in the end.”
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) remains race leader with Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) at 11 seconds down and Pogačar 14 back.
Michael Matthews and Richie Porte are 22nd and 24th respectively, 51 seconds off the leader.
In France, Glasgow 2014 silver medallist and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Rohan Dennis came third in the fourth stage of the Paris-Nice after fellow Australian Ben O’Connor, who had been sitting in 11th place overall, was forced to withdraw through illness before the stage began.
“O’Connor is feverish and his condition does not allow him to continue such a demanding event as Paris-Nice”, said Vincent Lavenu, general manager of the AG2R Citroen team.
Dennis, from Adelaide, led for much of the 13.4km time-trial in Montlucon for before being overtaken by Jumbo-Visma teammates Wout van Aert and Primoz Roglic.
Stage winner Van Aert moved into the overall lead ahead of another Jumbo-Visma rider Christophe Laporte. Dennis is 124th in the overall classification.
With O’Connor’s exit Jack Haig is the highest-placed Australian in 13th, 1m45s off the lead.
