Caleb Yuan (Lotto Soudal) had too much to do in the finale of the first stage of the UAE Tour, but despite finishing second behind winner and race leader Pascal Ackermann, the Australian was not depressed. With at least three more group sprints to go, Ewan told Cycling News that there were some positives to take from the opening sprint and that the result could have been different had luck been on his side.

It didn't take anything away from Ackermann. Once he took the lead with less than 150 meters to go, the German was dominant, and despite Ewan's reel in the closing stages, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider took the overall win.

"It was a pretty normal stage, exactly what I expected," Ewan told Cycling News at the finish in Dubai.

When the other sprinters were fighting for position, Yuan was too far back. In the last few hundred meters, he apparently made a big effort to catch up to the back of Mitchelton Scott's train. The road opened up for Ackermann, and the German rode hard to the line. Ewan rode like no other, but was left behind in the pack and had to pay the price.

"There wasn't much wind out there and everyone was fresh at the end. It's always difficult to stay in control here. It's always easy to get on the wheels, but as soon as you get to the front it's different. That means you have to gamble a little bit and catch up from the back. You need a bit of luck to catch up from behind."

"I boxed in a little bit and got in front of Jasper de Baist. I wanted to wait for him to pass by me again. By the time we both got out that way, it was probably already too late. He did a really good job of getting me back in front, but I was exhausted by then. Overall the team did a good job and I want to take this confidence to the next stage."

The UAE Tour is touted by many, including sprinters, as one of the strongest fast men lineups in some time. Currently, only Elia Viviani is on the list of the world's best sprinters, so a win in this race would be very important.

"To win here, you have to be perfect," Ewan told Cycling News.

"You need some luck and everything has to go right. It is difficult to see where Ackermann came from in the sprint, but we will analyze it and see where we can improve. We can take the positives from here."

Ewan's next stage is the second stage to Hatta Dam. The Australian won there in 2019, taking his first WorldTour win from Lotto Soudal in the process; 12 months later, the road to the final climb is tougher, and Ewan is aware that he may not arrive at the base of the final climb with the same amount of effort in his legs. Still, he has no intention of throwing in the towel just yet.

"It's going to be tough. It's lumpy today, and it's not like last year. So it might suit a rider with more punch.