The finale of the first stage of the 2022 Giro d'Italia was finished at Hilltop in Hungary. Caleb Yuan, however, was different. [He was leading with a group of three behind Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin-Phoenix) and Biniam Guillemay (Intermarché Wanty-Govert).

"At first everyone said it wasn't a stage for sprinters, but we were sure and we scouted. And we go into this Giro with big ambitions, not on GC but on the stage," John Lelangue, general manager of Lotto Soudal, told Cycling News.

Ewan, who has also made clear his ambitions for the hilly World Championships in Wollongong this year, has surprised many times in recent seasons with his ability to overcome climbs that would frustrate other sprinters. But before the Giro d'Italia began, he did nothing to diminish the impression that the first stage (5.5km, 4.2% gradient) would be a major challenge for the sprinters, and for himself.

"I don't think it's impossible if you're in good shape, but it will still be pretty hard to win," Ewan said before the race. But it will still be pretty hard to win. It's that simple."

When Ewan was sitting in a prime position just a few hundred meters from the finish line in Visegrad, the legs were clearly strong.

"I felt really good. In that last kilometer, when I knew I had to keep up with every move, I was able to keep up," Ewan said in a post-race video.

Expectations were beginning to build within the team, and it looked like the scenario would play out exactly as they had hoped.

"Up until the 400 meters, we were thinking about both the pink jersey and the sprint.

However, he hit Gilmey's wheel on the last bend and tumbled sideways across the road. After slowly raising himself off the pavement, he finished more than a minute behind the winner, van der Pol.

"He's more disappointed than hurt. But he's okay. That's the most important thing," Lelangue said.

The team announced that, aside from a few scrapes, Ewan had no major injuries and would be on the start line for the 9.2 km individual time trial on stage 2.

It was not only the Lotto-Soudal rider who crashed, but also Belgian rider Herm Van Hoek, who crashed a short distance off the line.

"Harm crashed pretty fast with six seconds left in the bunch and has a little pain in his knee and shoulder. 'But it's the knee that's the most bothersome. So let's see how he spends the night and what happens tomorrow morning."[25