Backspin: Ewan not thrilled with Le Tour omission, Froome’s inclusion continues to draw fire
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Published 26/06/2018 at 13:48 GMT
With the 105th edition of Le Tour de France on the horizon, Eurosport’s ‘Backspin’ rewinds the week that was in the world of pro cycling …
Caleb Ewan of Australia and Mitchelton-Scott looks on after crossing the finish line during stage four of the 2018 Tour Down Under on January 19, 2018 in Adelaide, Australia
Image credit: Getty Images
The UCI’s new eight-man Grand Tour roster limit may have officially debuted at the Giro d’Italia last month, but it made waves on social media this week following a tweet from Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan regarding his omission from next week’s Tour de France line-up for Mitchelton-Scott.
The Australian WorldTour team has opted to field a squad fully devoted to British rider Adam Yates’s general classification goals. Like last year’s best young rider at the Tour — and twin brother — Simon, Adam Yates won the youth classification in 2016 as well as finished fourth on GC.
Mitchelton is stocked full of veteran workhorses to help their young 25-year-old contend for the podium — if not the overall victory — in the three-week, 21-stage grandest tour of them all.
The squad features Australians Luke Durbridge, Michael Hepburn, Damien Howson and 2016 Paris-Roubaix winner Mathew Hayman, as well as New Zealander Jack Bauer, South African Daryl Impey and Spaniard Mikel Nieve. Only Hepburn makes his Tour debut.
“I’ve got great memories of the Tour in 2016 and it’s great to be back,” said Yates in the team’s official pre-race release following a stellar Critérium du Dauphiné performance. “At the moment, everything is going great. In both of my previous races (California and Dauphine) I came back at a really good level despite not having the ideal preparation. I even managed a stage win at the end of the Dauphine, which is great for the confidence ahead of my biggest goal of the season.”
A clear focus on GC — coupled with the reduced roster — meant no seat at the table for a freelance sprinter, thus leaving Ewan on the outside looking in, which is not an easy pill to swallow for the 23-year-old Sydneysider, who owns a stage win at both the Giro (2017) and the Vuelta a España.
Ewan, who is rumoured to be Lotto Soudal-bound in 2019, posted the following on Twitter immediately after the team officially announced its roster for July:
"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.”
According to team sports director Matt White, who was part of Mitchelton’s high performance group that made the decision to choose the 2018 Tour roster, the choice to omit Ewan from the team was not an easy decision, but rather a necessary one given the new UCI parameters.
“It was a very difficult decision for us to leave the sprint group at home,” White told Eurosport.
We had 11 riders ready for the this year’s race and I know the disappointment of working so hard for such a big goal and not being selected.
“I know we announced the plan for Caleb to do the race back in December, we also announced where our other high profiles riders were planning on doing,” he continued. “Plans change and we had to make the best decision for our organisation and that was to put more weight behind our GC aspirations and backing a very inform Adam Yates.”
White has not spoken with 2018 Tour Down Under stage winner since the initial call informing the Ewan of the non-selection.
“I rang him personally to tell him the news,” said White. “He was frustrated, but it’s only natural when you want something so much that you are disappointed.
“I am very happy with the guys who will be lining up for this year’s edition — great depth and experience — and they are ready for the challenge.”
Kittel, Hinault denounce Froome’s Tour title defence
Fallout continues regarding reigning four-time winner Chris Froome’s participation in the 105th edition of Le Tour.
Fourteen time stage winner Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin), who failed to finish last year’s race following a Stage 17 crash after finishing second on points in 2016, told German newspaper Sudkurier that the recently crowned Giro winner’s involvement reflects poorly on the sport.
"It is not a good thing for cycling," said Kittel, referring to the lingering cloud circling both Froome and Team Sky following a positive test for excessive levels of the asthma drug Salbutamol following a urine sample at last year's Vuelta a Espana.
The problem lies in the anti-doping regulations, which make it possible for Froome to start. He and Sky do everything possible to prove his innocence and that is why I think it takes so long. People are annoyed and I do not like it either.
“I find it difficult to say whether or not Froome should start,” the 30-year-old German sprinter continued. “The possibility is there, and his team uses that. But, Sky has wanted to be transparent since its existence and want to practice a pure sport. They had the opportunity, in this case, to underline those words and keep Froome aside. They have not, however.”
Kittel was not the only Tour veteran to speak out about Froome’s start.
Kittel was not the only Tour veteran to speak out about Froome’s start.
Retired five-time race winner Bernhard Hinault also had his say.
"Christopher Froome should not be at the start of the Tour,” he was quoted as saying by British media. "The peloton should put its feet to the ground and say, if he is starting the race, we won't start.
”Quite simply because he has tested positive, for me this is not an abnormal test,” continued the 63-year-old Frenchman, who is the Tour’s all-time winning stage winner (28), as well as a three-time Giro winner and two-time Vuelta champion.
“The people at the UCI should have said, you have been caught, so you should not be racing."
Team Sky quickly rebuked Hinault’s comments, calling his statements ‘disappointing’ and ’uneducated’ in an official media release last Thursday.
“It is disappointing that Bernard Hinault has, once again, repeated factually incorrect comments about a case he clearly does not understand," stated Sky.
“His comments are irresponsible and ill-informed. Chris has not had a positive test, rather an adverse analytical finding for a prescribed asthma medication. As an ex-rider himself, Bernard will appreciate the need for fairness for each and every athlete. And at the current time, Chris is entitled to race.”
Peter Sagan reclaims Slovak road race title from big brother
After watching his older brother and Bora-Hansgrohe team-mate Juraj capture the road race titles in 2016 and 2017, reigning three-time UCI world road race champion Peter Sagan soloed to his sixth career Slovakian national road championship in Pilsen on Sunday.
“I am happy to win my sixth Slovak championships, it’s always a proud moment for any athlete,” said Sagan. “Congratulations to Juraj for his second place overall in the combined Czech-Slovak classification and to Michael Kolar (Bora-Hansgrohe) who closed the Slovak podium.”
It was a bittersweet result for the elder of the two brothers.
"The combined Czech-Slovak national championships is always a very nice competition with a high level of racing and great atmosphere," said Juraj.
On the one hand, it's never easy to give away the Slovak jersey that I wore for two consecutive years but on the other, I’m happy to see Peter score such an emphatic victory and become the new Slovak champion.
The Slovakian and Czech Republic national championship road races are held jointly with Josef Černý topping an all Elkov-Author Cycling Team podium, which included runner-up Jan Bárta and third-place finisher Jakub Otruba, following the finals of the elite men’s Czech road nationals on Sunday.
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