After giving up at the Tour de France, the dispute over star sprinter Caleb Ewan escalated. Team boss Stéphane Heulot had sharply criticized the Australian’s performance and behavior after he gave up on Friday’s 13th stage. Ewan’s manager expressed great incomprehension for this.
“To say these things publicly and to humiliate a rider who has given so much to the team for four, five years is just disgusting to be frank,” Jason Bakker told Cycling Weekly.
Ewan had come to the 110th Tour aiming for a stage win, with third and second places on stages three and four being his best results. On Friday, the 29-year-old lost contact with the field early on and none of his team-mates stayed with him. “It’s a disappointment,” Heulot said of Ewan’s performance. “A driver also has duties and not just rights. We have the right to demand more commitment from him.” He sacrificed many helpers for him and he regrets it. “I’m very, very disappointed. A true champion motivates his team. He didn’t do that.”
After these words, Bakker demanded an apology from Heulot. It should be interesting to see how Ewan and the Lotto-Dstny team will continue. The contract of the five-time Tour stage winner with the Belgians runs until the end of next year. However, a relatively large number of top sprinters are changing teams this year, so that a premature separation cannot be ruled out.