38 year old sprinter ready for another year, not sure what team he'll be riding for
The original plan for Robbie McEwen was to take part in this year's World Championships at home in Australia and then lower the curtain on his career. However, the three-time Green Jersey winner at the Tour de France, plans on keeping it going for one more year according to Het Laatste Nieuws.
After spending the better part of half a year building back up to racing form following a horrendous crash at the Tour of Belgium in 2009, McEwen returned to a solid level and has spent most of the season threatening to break through for an elusive big victory. A win early at the Mallorca Challenge was nice, but there's no question the Australian has been hunting for much more ever since.
"I lost half a year due to my crash in the Tour of Belgium [in 2009]. It would be a shame to stop so soon after such a heavy rehabilitation. Moreover, I am very happy on the bike, and I can still race at a high level."
The 38 year old Australian Pocket Rocket managed six top fives at the recently completed Tour de France, but could never quite make it into the top three. A series of crashes in the first week put paid to some solid form that the multi-time Tour de France stage winner had been nurturing. He crashed heavily on the infamous stage to Spa, then hit the deck again a few days later after the finish line in Gueugnon, when someone walked into his path just meters past the finish line. The 2nd place finisher at this year's Grote Scheldeprijs spent the rest of the Tour de France suffering mightily and doing his best to make the time cut each day.
Following the Tour, the 2nd place finisher on the Zolder Worlds circuit in 2002, has found his body returning to full health and a number of criterium wins in Belgium have been the result. McEwen now has a string of one-day events along with the Eneco Tour in front of him to hopefully earn selection to the powerful Australian squad for their World Championships at home. His march toward Worlds will begin tomorrow with the Vattenfall Cyclassics, a race he won in 2008.
After the close of the season, the real question will become apparent: where to for Robbie Mac? McEwen has had an up and down run with the Russian Katusha team. He isn't negative to the idea of returning, but he's not ruling out a change in teams either.
"Whether I race for Katusha next year, I don't know. I will talk to Tchmil after the Eneco Tour. I may continue with the team, but there is interest elsewhere as well."