Caleb Ewan keeps drawing comparisons with Australian cycling legend Robbie McEwen, even though in many ways they are poles apart.
There is considerable expectation in the sport about Ewan, who will start his first full season at the top level on Friday at Victoria’s Bay Classic criterium series.
Ewan is only 20 – four years younger than when McEwen became a full-time pro.
McEwen was extroverted and a sprinter’s sprinter, but Ewan is much quieter.
McEwen would say he was out to win a race – and then invariably back up his prediction – but Ewan would never dare be so bold.
Still, Orica-GreenEDGE boss Matt White says they are identical in one crucial way.
“He’s a winner – most sprinters are,” White said of Ewan.
“Robbie McEwen is a good comparison in that sense – Robbie was a born winner.
“He’d sell his grandmother if it meant he could win a bike race.
“Caleb is hungry like that.”
Asked about the different personalities, White replied: “that would be an understatement.
“The comparison between Caleb and Robbie is their commitment to winning,” he said.
White added that Ewan also has McEwen’s amazing talent.
“There certainly hasn’t been a pure sprinter like him come along since Robbie McEwen (in Australia),” he said.
Two years ago, Ewan confirmed his rich potential by winning the Bay Classic series.
This year he won the silver in the under-23 road race at the world championships.
Orica-GreeEDGE snapped him up and he rode in several senior races this season, including the Tour Down Under, the Commonwealth Games and the Tour of Beijing.
He has had the perfect apprenticeship.
Ewan’s maturity – a trait sometimes missing from top-level sprinters in any sport – has also impressed White.
The GreenEDGE boss recalled Ewan finishing second a few weeks ago in the opening stage at the Tour of Beijing.
Ewan had much more experienced teammates who were committed to supporting him.
“There were a couple of mistakes made and he sat down and learned from it,” White said.
“He wanted to find out what he’d done wrong and he was very honest with the guys.
“When you’re acting like that straight off the bat, as a 20-year-old, you’re gaining a lot of respect from your team-mates.”
The four-race Mitchelton Bay Classic series starts with a twilight round this Friday in Geelong.
Fancy a wager on your favourite sport? Head on over to PlayUp for great odds and friendly customer service and pick a winner. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Tadej Pogacar has won a drama-packed Tour of Flanders, winning in a breakaway with Matieu van der Poel second, Mads Pedersen third and Wout…
Women are not allowed to compete in the Tour de France. However you choose to re-read that sentence, the fact remains: the most famous…
The jam-packed month-by-month quiz full of 2022 sports trivia!
Australian Grace Brown has won silver in the women's time trial, the first event at the world road cycling championships.
