'You have to get used to letting your team-mates down' – Caleb Ewan on hard truths ahead of Tour de France

Caleb Ewan has had, by his own admission, “an up and down season” so far. “It definitely hasn’t gone as good as I’d have hoped,” he tells this week’s Cycling Show. The so-called “pocket rocket” has stood on the top step of a podium five times this season, with only one of those coming at the end of a WorldTour race.

Ad/> Compare that with 2019, the season he made his debut at the Tour de France and soared to victory on the Champs Elysees. He had travelled to the Grand Depart in Belgium with seven wins to his name, five of which were at WorldTour level, two of them from the Giro d’Italia. /> CyclingEwan 'on track to be really good at the Tour de France' despite 'up and down season'41 MINUTES AGO In the most recent edition of the Corsa Rosa, which finished at the start of this month, the Australian left the race early, which was planned in advance, but came home empty-handed, which definitely wasn’t.

An opening stage fall limited his capacity to compete in the first week. The closest he came to popping the Prosecco was when a photo-finish separated him from Arnaud Demare in Scalea. Tour de France 2022 route: Every stage assessed for bruising 109th edition Tour de France 2022 — 7 key stages in the battle for yellow “Luck wasn’t really on my side,” he says.

It might not bode particularly well for the forthcoming lap of France, but Ewan has never lacked belief in his own abilities. Nor is he one to dwell on setbacks when he could be focussing on the challenges ahead. “Coming out of the Giro with no wins wasn’t ideal, but I knew my form was there," he says.