The organisers of the Santos Tour Down Under have confirmed that Caleb Ewan will be on the start line competing with his new team Jayco-AlUla in 2024.
Ewan is a nine-time stage winner at his home WorldTour race, and he and his team will be aiming for multiple wins during the men's event held from January 16-21 in and around Adelaide, Australia.
“I have always enjoyed racing in Adelaide. It is a great way to start off the year, and the support we get from Aussie crowds is incredible," Ewan said.
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"I feel I have unfinished business in the Santos Tour Down Under and can’t wait to get back there, racing for Team Jayco-AlUla this January."
Ewan is the first rider the organisers have confirmed to compete in the 2024 edition.
Ewan ended his contract with Lotto-Dstny a year early, and an announcement from Jayco-AlUla quickly followed to confirm that he would return to the squad where he started his career, moving from the development team to the WorldTour level in 2014.
A five-time Tour de France and Giro d'Italia stage winner, Ewan joins a team of powerful sprinters at Jayco-AlUla next year that includes compatriot Michael Matthews and Dylan Groenewegen.
Ewan left Lotto-Dstny after a season of tension and disappointment. Roughly half of his 61 career pro wins were secured during his five seasons with Lotto. In 2023, however, he only won one event. Although he was close to victory in two early sprints at the Tour de France, he then struggled through the mid-race mountain stages before abandoning on stage 13, which drew out strong criticism from team manager Stephane Heulot.
Stuart O’Grady, race director at the Santos Tour Down Under, said it was a major coup having a rider of Ewan's calibre on the start line, picking out three of the stages he predicts Ewan will target.
“Caleb will be out to prove he is one of the fastest sprinters on the planet. He is a fan favourite at the Santos Tour Down Under, and we can expect he will be out challenging in the Ziptrak Men’s Stage 1 Tanunda to Tanunda, Stage 3 Tea Tree Gully to Campbelltown, and also the Hahn Stage 4 Murray Bridge to Port Elliot,” O’Grady said.
