The kilometers passed by Milan-Sanremo and the sprinters' numbers were growing. The high pace had effectively blocked the race and the regular pace somehow facilitated the fast wheels, including the very dangerous ones of caleb ewan
The Aussie wasn't among the favorites, yet his name was buzzing among the insiders. An outsider, one might say today. But evidently the riders must have seen him well in the group in previous races to fear him.
Sanremo in the mind
In the morning, Caleb is one of the last to line up. After signing in, he returns to his bus and only leaves at the last minute. He's wearing leg warmers and arm warmers. He gives the mechanic a high five and heads for the start. His bike is very low and long. The handlebars are narrow. He looks like a killer hurtling toward the goal. And having a certain... Philip Gilbert stealing the show takes the pressure off him. But he wasn't smiling as much as usual. In short, he was tense.
“This is a race I really want to win in my career,” Ewan said after the race. “That’s why I’ve been focused on the Sanremo since the start of the season. I trained hard. I knew that to win it, I would have to change something in my training, and so I did. The goal was to improve on the climbs. I don't know how many times I've done the Poggio in the last few weeks."
Goal climbs
But Ewan and his team were smart. To improve on the climbs, rather than focusing on weight loss, which would have also meant blunting his sharpest weapon—the fast sprint—they worked hard on short climbs.
«Exactly, I focused a lot on five-minute uphill efforts. And, thinking about the Cipressa, even on the ten-man ones." And Caleb succeeded. That's why, all things considered, he was satisfied after the race, even if he says he wasn't. He probably understood that this race is really for him.
"No, I have no regrets. Yes, we looked at each other a little too much, but Sanremo is truly special. That's why running it is fantastic. Maybe if I had had a teammate with me at the end, it would have gone differently: I knew I was the fastest at that point."
Ewan and the Tirreno
Many said he wouldn't be able to sprint after 300 kilometers. His response was to come from behind to secure a podium finish. The uphill work paid off, and he didn't arrive at the sprint feeling empty-footed.
But there is something that after a performance like that, you have to ask yourself. Why did he stop at Tirreno? In the stage towards Gualdo Tadino the rider of the Lotto Soudal He withdrew, complaining of intestinal problems. This is understandable given the temperatures that day, but having seen him at the start of that same stage, he certainly didn't seem to be out of shape. He was laughing and joking with his teammates and seemed one of the liveliest riders around. The idea is that he was already thinking about the Classicissima and that he wanted to conserve energy. Ultimately, for him, the only things that lay ahead were stages that were decidedly unsuited to his characteristics. In any case, whoever wants to win the next Sanremo will also have to deal with Ewan.
