SBS On Demand is the place to watch all the live action from the Saudi Tour, with the race live-streamed and with full catch-up replays and highlights from each stage.
Ewan emerged in the final hundred metres from the wheel of teammate Jasper De Buyst to deliver the perfect start for the 2022 season on the Saudi Tour Stage 1.
"Obviously, there's no better way to start the season," said Ewan. "I'm super happy with that, but also super happy with how the team performed. I got delivered perfectly, I really only had to sprint for 100 metres there.
"I think we have the strongest sprint team here for sure. It's a bit of a new leadout with Rudi Selig and Jarrad Drizners coming in here. They did a great job to come into the team, integrate and deliver me perfectly here like that."
Martin Urianstad (Uno-X), Shahrul Mat Amin (Terengganu Cycling Team) and Polychronis Tzortakis (Kuwait Pro Cycling) made up the early breakaway with sprinters’ teams keeping an attentive eye on the trio’s advantage. A grounded relay plane meant that no live pictures were provided during the stage, with reports out from the road confirming that the three riders ahead were being steadily chased down.
The trio was all but swallowed up, with Mat Amin caught by the peloton before Tzortakis and Urianstad reasserted their lead out front before being caught for good with just over 20 kilometres remaining.
A seven-kilometre section of gravel that ended with 15 kilometres left to ride had the peloton concerned with the riders unable to carry out a recon prior to the event. There was a concerted battle to enter the section near the front, and before long there was a significant crash with the main group, with pre-race contender Andrea Bagioli (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl) the worst affected, he would finish nearly 20 minutes in arrears on the stage.
The race wasn't slowing up from however, as the sprinters’ teams continued to set a hard pace into the expected sprint finish in Winter Park.
Youssif Mirza (UAE Team Emirates) surged away from the bunch after the gravel section, with leadouts getting organised behind the lone leader. Mirza was hauled in with three kilometres remaining, and the race was set for a sprint.
BORA-hansgrohe rounded the final corner at the head of proceedings before Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal) surged to the front, allowing Ewan to launch his sprint with just 100 metres to go, with the Australian winning with ease on the finish line, lengths ahead of Martin Laas (BORA-hansgrohe) and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) who rounded out the top three.
