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Already a Tour stage winner. (Image credit: AFP)
Robbie McEwen: life of a sprinter
Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen is firmly in the hunt for the green jersey in this year's Tour after his spectacular win on stage two. Cyclingnews' Shane Stokes sat down with Robbie McEwen the day he withdrew from the recent Tour de Suisse with a sore knee. He was expecting to find the sprinter in a disappointed mood but instead the rider was in top form, talking happily for longer that was scheduled and showing clear confidence that everything was on track for a strong Tour de France.
When it comes to the final 200 metres of a major race, Australian rider Robbie McEwen is one of the quickest and most tactically astute on two wheels. Along with Thor Hushovd and Tom Boonen he's one of the top favourites for stage wins and the green jersey as best sprinter in this year's Tour.
Mondays's road stage showed just why the Davitamon-Lotto rider has already won two maillots vert; McEwen produced a hugely impressive burst of speed to blast past Stuart O'Grady and Erik Zabel and win the stage. Last year McEwen took a hat-trick of stages at the Giro and then did the same at the Tour, taking the honours in Montargis, Karlsruhe and Montpellier. However, a controversial tangle with compatriot Stuart O'Grady on day three into Tours saw him disqualified, a decision he disagreed with and which he feels ultimately cost him his chance of winning the race for green.
This time round he's hoping for more success. He once again took three stages in the Giro and says that if history repeats itself and brings an equivalent number of victories in this year's Tour, he'd be very happy indeed. Over the course of a 25-minute interview a friendly McEwen gave an in-depth look into his career and the world of sprinting, talking about his abilities, his preparation, his career progression, his tactics when dealing with top rivals such at Tom Boonen and Thor Hushovd and his surprisingly relaxed approach vis-à-vis checking out the route of the race.
