Caleb Ewan won't be 'pressured or humiliated' by Lotto Dstny, says rider's agent

Caleb Ewan's agent has once again come to the defence of his star rider and declared that the rider will not be "pressured or humiliated" by Lotto Dstny.

The Australian has not raced for his trade team since abandoning the Tour de France in July and since then the team's CEO Stephane Heulot has made several comments to the press indicating that Ewan can leave the team.

Read more: Caleb Ewan 'has the choice' if wants to stay at Lotto-Dstny, says team boss

Ewan has a contract with Lotto Dstny for 2024 but with the Belgian team recently extending the contract for fellow sprinter Arnaud De Lie, it looks increasingly likely that the squad are willing to move on from Ewan, a rider they built almost their entire sprinting operation around for several seasons.

Lotto Dstny confirmed last week that Ewan would not be racing again in the short term with his wife expecting their third child in the coming weeks. Heulot told GCN that: “Sincerely, he has the choice to decide. I didn’t receive more info at this time from his agent. I assume they search for a team."

Heulot, who wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 1996, went further in the Belgian press a day later.

"He has to regain the trust of his teammates. There is also a role for me there. I want to do my best for that, but then he has to be willing to go along with it. I have nothing against Caleb, but his behaviour bothers me. There are certain things we can't accept," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

The situation looks precarious at this stage but Ewan's agent, Jason Bakker called for a degree of civility and respect when contacted on Monday by GCN.

"The team can say what they like but there’s a contract in place and that’s the default position. There’s a bit to play out obviously one way or the other but we won’t be publicly pressured or humiliated just because a contract no longer suits someone. I don’t think it’s the way to conduct yourself and I think Caleb deserves better."

One possible scenario could be that Lotto Dstny effectively pays Ewan to leave the team and provides him with a percentage of his 2024 salary. The difficulty for Ewan is that he's coming off the back of a tough season, and his market value will be lower than it was in 2022. Most teams will have allocated their budgets for next year, so finding a suitor willing or able to match his current salary of around 1.2-1.5 million Euros could be a challenge.

Lotto Dstny could be willing to cut their losses, pay a percentage of the rider's 2024 contract and then allow another team to pick up the Australian on more favourable terms. Ewan could then have a choice to make as to whether he wants to make a fresh start on potentially a lower salary - but perhaps a better bonus structure - or stay where he is.

Whatever the outcome, it's clear from speaking to several insiders that Ewan is motivated to find his best level again, whatever team that's on.