Caleb Ewan starts his first full season with a bang Down Under

Cycling’s newest sprinting prodigy, Caleb Ewan, started his season in style by taking the victory in the first of the Mitchelton Bay Cycling criteriums.

Orica-GreenEdge’s 20-year-old pipped veteran Kiwi Greg Henderson, racing for the NZ National Team, to the line after the pair lapped virtually the entire field.

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Henderson, 38, made the move just after the halfway mark of the one-hour race, taking Ewan with him, leaving NFTO’s Ian Bibby, racing for Chain Reaction, to take the bunch sprint for third.

“I was glad the peloton were pulled out early,” Ewan said. “I didn’t want to get involved with them because it upsets everything and I don’t think that would be fair for either of us.

“I thought (Henderson) was going to sit on me for the full last lap but he came through and wanted to lead it out and that worked perfectly for me.”

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This season marks the first of Ewan’s professional career, having joined Orica-GreenEdge as a stagiaire at the end of last season.

The Australian pocket rocket finished seventh in the Tour of Beijing's sprint competition, taking second place in stage one, also taking second in the U23 World Championships road race in Ponferrada.