Caleb Ewan sprinted to victory in Vuelta a Castilla y Leon after some incredible work from his Team Jayco AlUla teammates.
In his first race back since the Giro d’Italia in May, all eyes were on the five-time Tour de France stage winner who timed his sprint to perfection to win ahead of Davide Cimolai (Movistar Team) and Jenthe Biermans (Arkea-B&B Hotels).
The 199km race from Valladolid to La Cisterniga looked to be one for the sprinters but with temperatures soaring over 40 degrees Celsius, and aggressive racing, it proved to be a challenging day.
After controlling the race from the start, Team Jayco AlUla protected and delivered Ewan to the line with a strong lead-out.
Caleb Ewan:
“On paper, it was a pretty easy looking day but it’s harder when you factor in the heat. At some points, when I looked at my Garmin it was 43 and 44 degrees so it was super hot today. The uphill in sprint made it harder, too, but I think it suited me really well and my team did a great job today. We really controlled the race from the start and then I´m happy I could finish it off.
I knew UAE would try something on the last climb because they don’t have a sprinter here. I expected it to be aggressive but my team did a great job to keep the attacks under control and make it a sprint. The Vuelta a España was one of my first big victories as a pro so it´s also a pleasure to come back and race in Spain.”
38th Vuelta a Castilla y Leon (1.1) Results:
1. Caleb Ewan (Team Jayco AlUla) 04:33:55
2. Davide Cimolai (Movistar Team) st
3. Jenthe Boermans st
.Photo: Sprint Cycling
