Caleb Ewan ‘not going anywhere’ after team's relegation, says Lotto-Soudal
Spokesperson for Belgian team says that Ewan has expressed desire to stay and lead the team in 2023
Caleb Ewan will stay at Lotto-Soudal for 2023 despite the team's soon to be confirmed relegation from the WorldTour.
Cycling Weekly understands that the Australian sprinter has expressed no desire to leave the team due to their relegation, and that Ewan has said that he will stay with the squad and honour his contract which runs until the end of 2024.
A spokesperson for Lotto Soudal confirmed to Cycling Weekly that despite the team's situation, Ewan was “not going anywhere”.
“Caleb has said internally to us that he will stay on the team. At the moment we’re planning and discussing his programme and goals for next season, which will continue next week,” the spokesperson said.
Ewan recently signed a new contract which runs until the end of the 2024 season. When asked by Cycling Weekly whether there was a clause allowing him to leave following the team’s relegation, they explained that Ewan like other riders may have wanted to leave, but that the impending relegation “changes nothing”.
“It could change it, but it doesn’t. The potential relegation was an issue for the entire season and something that he [Ewan] was aware of. Although he has always expressed his intention to stay towards us and nothing will change,” they said.
“There is always an option riders want to leave, relegation or not. We have seen this on multiple occasions and teams before. But we have no signals from any riders wanting to leave.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Caleb extended his contract together with Jasper De Buyst. They will be a hard to beat combination in 2023. For them, nothing changes, next year we will be fighting for victory in the biggest races like we have been the past years," they added.
“We will still be able to ride the Tour, the Giro and Milan San Remo which were Caleb’s biggest goals last season. His sprint train hasn’t changed much, so for him and us things don’t really change. The goals stay the same and the programme will remain the same. There’s no benefit here to anyone taking a different course.”
Meanwhile the team spokesperson explained that Lotto-Soudal are viewing their relegation as “an opportunity to take a step back to then advance further" in the long term, and that Ewan deciding to stay with the team was a huge statement of intent.
They said: “For us to convince all our riders of our project for next season, we had to take some steps and think about ways we could change things for the better and for the good of the team. The fact that for example Caleb says ‘ok I’m committed to this team, they have a plan for me and for the entire team’ just confirms to us that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Jonathan Vaughters along with Chris Froome have recently condemned the structure of the WorldTour relegation system, with Froome labelling it as a "death sentence" for many other teams.
Froome's team Israel-Premier Tech are expected to join Lotto-Soudal at ProTour level in 2023 after also being relegated.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine.
Since joining the team, he has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the World Championships in Glasgow. He has also covered major races elsewhere across the world. As well as on the ground reporting, Tom writes race reports from the men's and women's WorldTour and focuses on coverage of UK domestic cycling.
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering comments
The pair seemingly had one last fractious year together at SD Worx-Protime in 2024
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Caleb Ewan leaves Lotto Dstny early to return to Jayco-AlUla
Australian sprinter leaves Belgian team after "difficult year", returns to team he turned professional with
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I kinda think I won' - was Caleb Ewan robbed of victory in Belgian one-day race?
The Lotto Dstny rider lost out to Gerben Thijssen in a close photo finish call on Sunday
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Another photo finish, another runner-up ride for Caleb Ewan
Less than two weeks after Tim Merlier bested him by the thinnest of margins in the UAE Tour, Ewan takes second behind Gerben Thijssen in a photo finish at the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré
By Dane Cash Published
-
‘Current WorldTour system is killing all the smaller teams,’ says Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
South African ex-Lotto Soudal rider fears more teams could find themselves in B & B Hotels-KTM situation if the system doesn’t change
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Caleb Ewan 'heartbroken' to miss out as Australia announce Worlds squad
The Lotto-Soudal sprinter believed he deserved to be in the team.
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Caleb Ewan to miss out on selection for Australia World Championships
Australian sprinter expected to be left out of World Championships in Wollongong this September
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It's not been a great Tour for the sprinters’ - Caleb Ewan rues bad luck at the Tour de France after heavy crash on stage 13
Lotto Soudal sprinter involved in nasty crash with a teammate midway through stage into Saint-Étienne
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m still having to pinch myself a little bit, what a ride!' : Reinardt Janse van Rensburg’s journey to a sixth Tour de France
The 33 year old South African rider feared his career was over before Lotto Soudal came calling.
By Tom Thewlis Last updated