Caleb Ewan's return to Jayco-AlUla could well help him on the way to achieving a long held objective on Sunday, given that it means he will be riding the elite men's road race at the Federation University Australian Road National Championships ensconced in the most powerful team in the peloton.
Ewan has already claimed one title at the 2024 Australian Championships, the criterium when made his Jayco-AlUla racing debut on Friday, but that's not the key prize he is after.
“The road race is definitely the one that I've got my eye on and the one I dream of winning,” Ewan told Cyclingnews in Ballarat on Thursday, on the eve of his fourth criterium title. “It would be nice to ride my first season back in the Australian team in the national champs colours so that's been a really big focus for me in the pre-season, I've been really working hard towards that.”
It’s not that Buninyong, a small town near Ballarat, delivers a course that plays to sprinters, with the 185.6km event taking on 16 laps of an 11.6km course with 205 metres of elevation gain and a maximum gradient of 8.4%. The big challenge is the 16 ascents of the Mount Buninyong Road climb, usually a pivotal point in breaking up the race.
“I'm realistic in the fact that I know the race has to really go in my favour for me to win there but I definitely know that it's one that I'm capable of winning,” said Ewan.
Ewan has come close to winning the elite road race in Buninyong before. He took second in 2015 behind Heinrich Haussler at a time when he was also racing for the Australian squad. He was then fresh out of the U23 category, having claimed the U23 road race title in 2014.
The 29 year old rider competed in the road race through the rest of his time with the Australian squad – with fourth being his next best result – but once he moved to Lotto Soudal the race was off the agenda, at least until 2023.
When he returned last year he had some company, in then teammates Jarrad Drizners and Harry Sweeny, and held firm through to the final stages of the race when a series of aggressive moves blew the race apart and left Ewan to finish the race in 18th place.
This year on Sunday, however, Ewan will have strength in numbers and plenty of experience around him at Jayco-AlUla. The Australian team also has 2022 and 2023 winner Luke Plapp as a new recruit. Then there is Chris Harper and Michael Hepburn, who joined Plapp in a team clean sweep of the time trial podium, as well as Lucas Hamilton, Kelland O’Brien, Rudy Porter and Blake Quick.
“The way that we will be able to race I think will help me a lot because I guess we'll have guys in breakaways and covering moves, where I don't have to do it,” said Ewan. “I can really just sit back in the bunch and try to conserve as much energy as possible and really wait for those last few laps.
“Last year, there were a few times that I probably had to move with some breakaways and stuff. I really need to get around as easy as possible and not have to chase guys down or anything like that. I think as far as that goes, you know, it'll be much easier having a strong team with me.”
