McEwen to kickstart career at Tour Down Under

[JV911]

McEwen to kickstart career at Tour Down Under

Australian great Robbie McEwen will try to kick-start his stalled cycling career at Tour Down Under in Adelaide in January.

The 37-year-old Queenslander, who had much of his 2009 season wrecked by a mid-year crash, will lead the Katusha team for the January tour, the first major event on cycling's Pro Tour calendar.

The three-time green jersey winner at the Tour de France has won more stages at the Tour Down Under than any other rider with 12 victories.

But he missed this year's Tour de France and the second half of the international season after crashing heavily in the Tour of Belgium in May, injuring his knee and breaking a bone in his left leg.

McEwen returned to racing with second place finish at a criterium at Aalst in Belgium in late July but was forced to call a halt to his year about a month later after ongoing problems.

Then in September he underwent a third operation to remove scar tissue from around his injured knee.

McEwen admitted he tried to return to racing too soon, as speculation mounted that his problems could spell the end of his career.

But he said he was determined to return to full fitness and had targeted the Tour Down Under, the Tour de France and the world championships in Geelong among his key goals for 2010.

"I have now yet again turned the switch and have my focus on a full recovery and preparing myself for the 2010 season with Katusha when I will line up in the Tour Down Under," McEwen wrote on his website.

Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur said McEwen would again be a contender for stage wins, the sprinter's jersey and overall honours.

"It wouldn't be the Santos Tour Down Under without Robbie," Turtur said on Thursday.

"He is fast, competitive and always ready to put on a show in front of a home crowd."

Turtur said Katusha would field a strong team at next year's race including Alexander Pliuschin, the 2008 National Road Champion for Moldova.

The 2009 Tour de Vendee champion Pavel Brutt is also included in the Russian line-up.

The Tour Down Under will be staged around Adelaide from January 17-24 and will feature Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong as well as Australia's world road race champion Cadel Evans.

Team Katusha: Alexander Pliuschin (Mda), Pavel Brutt (Rus), Denis Galimzyanov (Rus), Joan Horrach (Esp), Sergey Klimov (Rus), Robbie McEwen (Aus) and Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel).

[AUbicycles]

McEwen is a real champ... and a nice guy too.
If Lance can come back, so can Robbie.

[Aushiker]

Hi

Really hope it works out for him in 2010.

Andrew