Caleb Yuan finished only fourth in the first stage of the men's Tour Down Under, admitting that he is recovering from an illness ahead of the World Tour opener.

Yuan's Jayco Alura team was a constant presence at the front of the pack from very early on to set up the 29-year-old, who missed last week's warm-up criterium.

The Australian was fourth behind stage winner Sam Welsford's Bora-Hansgrohe train and lost ground in the last few meters.

"I was in a good position, exactly where I needed to be," Ewan said after the race.

"But when I went to kick, I was already at the limit, so my sprint wasn't so good.

"It should get better during the week. The last few days I have not been feeling well, especially in this heat, my heart rate hasn't been up and I have been really struggling.

The Australian sprinter returned to the team where he turned pro after a very successful five-year stint with Lotto Dostony, which turned sour last year.

It was Lotto Dostony that supported Ewan to win his first Tour de France in 2019. However, disagreements over the race program for last year's La Grand Boucle suggested that something may be off internally. After Ewan abandoned stage 13 of the 2023 Tour, team CEO Stéphane Ouro's words indicated a breakdown in communication that ultimately led to the premature termination of his contract.

Euan is now back at the starting point on the World Tour, in some ways the same bike rider he was when he left, and in some ways not.

"Sprinters are a bit of a different breed," Matthew Hayman, sport director of Jayco Alula, told Cycling News at the start of the first stage in Tanunda. Any sprinter would love to get into the mix, or win, or both, but as long as he does...

"He's had a less than ideal few years, but he still came pretty close to winning a stage at last year's Tour de France, even though people said he wasn't "in very good shape."

After finishing third and second in the third and fourth stages of the Tour de France, Ewan retired and raced again in September and early October in Lot Dostony. He entered the Tour Down Under on the back of a criterium win at the Australian Road Championships earlier this month.

"He's definitely matured," said Dostny. 'When we acquired him, he was a neo-pro. It's very different from someone who has won stages in the Grand Tours, has grown as a rider, and has been through what he's been through."

Although Ewan did not publicly fight with Huyraud during last year's Tour, the criticism directed at him was enough to prompt a response from his agent, Jason Bakker.

"Anytime a rider is content to leave a team after so many years, it's pretty hard for the team to tell him not to go. [To be a good rider at this level, you have to be ready to race as well as do all the work, and if your head isn't in it, you can't do that. So I hope he finds his place again in our team, finds his comfort zone, and gets the most out of him."

Ewan has no shortage of motivation and is especially eager to compete and make a name for himself in the big races in cycling.

The return to Jayco Alura is a new start, and the 11-time Grand Tour winner and Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen will run different schedules and have their own leadouts.

"There will be some crossover, but they definitely have company," Heyman said of their respective aids.

Ewan's leadout is underway and he will be paired with Campbell Stewart for the first time on the Tour Down Under.

"Today he was paired with Campbell for the first time. He's been working with Campbell for the first time," said Heyman, who admitted that the two had not yet trained for the leadout.

"They haven't had a chance yet. They can go out on the road and sprint, but it's not the same as when you really know the rider in front of you, you really know all their mannerisms, you really know what they're capable of and how they ride. Honestly, we don't have that.

Ewan will compete in this year's Giro, while Groenewegen, who has established a sprint train that includes Luca Medjeck, will concentrate on the Tour de France.

"Whenever the environment changes, you can always start fresh," said Groenewegen. 'I think he's full of confidence and we have to manage that throughout the season, give him the opportunity to win and support him.'

"It's also our job to support both Dylan and him and win races. It's not just them, but also the team around them."

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