Caleb Ewan made his WorldTour debut at the 2014 Tour Down Under, riding for the wildcard UniSA-Australia team. The then 19-year-old finished second to Marcel Kittel in the pre-race criterium but struggled through the race finishing with the front group on just one occasion. The 21-year-old arrives in Adelaide for his second crack at the race as one the favourites for sprint wins, having won four of the five races he's finished this season to add to his 11 professional wins of his debut neo-pro season with Orica-GreenEdge.
"When I did the Tour Down Under a couple of years ago, I hadn't done any WorldTour racing and I hadn't raced with professionals really at all so I was pretty inexperienced back then," Ewan said at the pre-race press conference. "Obviously as well, in a couple of years you mature and get stronger and I think that will help. Now I have another season under my belt riding for GreenEdge so hopefully I'll be a bit more used to it now.
"Last time I did it, I really struggled. I might have finished one of the stages in the bunch which was the last one around the crit circuit. I struggled back then so hopefully I won't struggle as much this year."
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Orica-GreenEdge start the race with the dual ambition of winning stages with Ewan and claiming a fourth overall title for Simon Gerrans. Acknowledging the balance the team will attempt to find when racing gets underway on Tuesday’s 130.8km sprint friendly stage from Prospect to Lyndoch, Ewan explained he has no issue with the team’s goals.
“There are a few stages which would suit me but the main goal of the team is going for GC so I’ll need to fit my plans around that so if there is a stage where I am feeling good for and them team want to support me, they will,” Ewan said.
Along with the opening stage, stages four and six are expected to finish in a bunch sprint finish. The winners of the corresponding stages in 2015 are two riders that Ewan mentions when asked who he sees as his rivals for the race.
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