Robbie McEwen returns for Jayco Bay Classic

McEwen’s 2011 racing program was thrown into disarray when his new team, Pegasus Racing, was denied a racing licence by the international cycling federation.

A last minute lifeline was extended to the 38-year-old when he signed with Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack and with a battle against some of the best sprinters in world cycling looming, McEwen needs some racing.

“With the weather we have had up here in Queensland, I’ve been able to get out training but all our club races have been cancelled. It’s not just raining every weekend, but every day.  Those club races on a Sunday are an important part of my preparation coming into the season.  I haven’t been able to ride any at all, they’ve all been cancelled,” McEwen said, having just stepped off the bike after yet another training ride in the pouring rain.

“The Aussie blokes that are here and are able to ride them have a big advantage over the Euro guys by having a few days of racing in your legs.  They might only be an hour but they’re super intense and they really kick start your form.”

After a broken leg in 2009 forced him to miss most of the year, including the Tour de France, 2010 has also been a year to forget for the super sprinter.

A crash into a motorbike at the conclusion of stage six of the Tour de France ruined his stage win aspirations. The collapse of Pegasus Racing left the veteran looking like riding into retirement with a whimper rather than going out with a bang, and just last week he and Rugby international Mat Rogers were involved in the dramatic rescue of fellow passengers at sea following a gas leak on a cruise boat of the gold coast.

That all changed on the eve of Christmas when McEwen was snapped up by Team Radio Shack and what McEwen believes will be his final year as a pro, although there is a question mark on whether this will be his final summer racing in Australia.

“My dream scenario would be to train through the summer of 2011/2012 and finish my career in Australia with my last races at the Bay series and Tour Down Under 2012 and then stop, but who knows,” McEwen said. 

“So I’ve got now what I’m planning to be my last season, on the road in Europe, and I want to have another crack at the biggest races.

“Whether that will be including the Tour (of France) we’ll see. But the first part of the season I’d love to have another go at Milan-San Remo and then one or two of the grand tours.”

McEwen has won three green jerseys and 12 stages in his Tour de France career as well as 12stages of the Tour of Italy and has captured the Jayco Bay Classic title on six occasions, the first back in 1997 and the last in 2005.  In between he scored three wins in succession between 2001 and 2003.

In last year’s Jayco Bay Classic, McEwen rode his first race in more than seven months after the 2009 season ended with a broken leg. He ended up finishing the series in fifth spot behind winner Chris Sutton, New Zealander Greg Henderson and arch rivals Graeme Brown and Baden Cooke, all of whom return in 2011. 

His best placing in any stage was a third in the opening leg, something he hopes to improve on, but given he hasn’t yet had one race, he feels he is giving some of the field a head start.

“You have guys who did the five-day series in NSW; those guys have got the extra step in front of all the guys who haven’t raced yet. Those guys will come in best at the Bay Crits.” 

“It would be great to grab a stage win but I know I will be riding in the Jayco team and one of my teammates is Leigh Howard.  He finished his 2010 season quite early in September and started training early, rode the track world cup and has already got good form so I think we can team up well.”

McEwen will join the likes of U23 World Champion Michael Matthews (Urban Hotel Group), Commonwealth Games champion Allan Davis (Bikebug.com), Mark Renshaw (O2 Networks), 2010 Giro d’Italia best young rider Richie Porte, and Baden Cooke (Lowe Farms / Bomaroo Nurseries) and Tasmanian trio Matthew Goss, Wesley and Bernie Sulzberger (E3/ Pure Tasmania) announced last week.  More riders will be announced in the coming days.

End of release