Caleb Ewan abandons Giro d'Italia

Team LottoSoudal rider Australias Caleb Ewan celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Giro dItalia 2021 cycling race 181 km between Notaresco and Termoli on May 14 2021 Photo by Dario BELINGHERI AFP Photo by DARIO BELINGHERIAFP via Getty Images
(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) has abandoned the Giro d'Italia. The Australian, who won two stages during the opening week left the race mid-way through stage 8. 

Ewan won stages 5 and 7 of the race and was leading the points classification as a result. He always planned to leave the Giro d'Italia before the finish in Milan on May 30 with plans to win stages in all three of cyclings Grand Tours this year. However, after a frantic start to stage 8, the 26-year-old has left the race. His Lotto Soudal team took to social media to state that their rider was suffering with knee pain.

After winning stage 7 Ewan admitted that his focus was already dialed in towards goals later in the year. 

Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.