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A frenetic finale into Bayonne saw Ewan boxed in and not in the best position to launch, but he managed to come around his rivals to finish a close third behind stage winner Philipsen and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), beating out the likes of Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-QuickStep) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in the process.
While it wasn't the elusive Tour de France win he's been chasing since his last in 2020, getting on the podium amongst a premier sprinting field like this one is a sign Ewan's form is trending in the right direction, an outlook the 28-year-old reflected in his comments post-stage.
“This performance gives me confidence for the chances to come," Ewan said after the stage.
"The legs felt good and if I can start my sprint from a better position, that win is coming soon.
“As expected, this was a really nervous one but we did well with the team. The level here is really high and almost every top sprinter is present. So it was an enormous battle for the best positions. Of course, we missed Jasper at the very end but we had to change plans today and did well. It was a hectic sprint but I felt really good.
"I was maybe a little too far back when I started my sprint but we have to take the positives from today. With this form, I feel there will be some nice things to come.”
Fortunately for Ewan and the rest of the sprinters, the next opportunity is right around the corner with tomorrow's Stage 4 the next flat stage of the race with a fast finish expected in Nogaro.
It's a chance for him and his Lotto-DSTNY teammates to quickly regroup, analyse what went wrong and make sure his lead-out is in a better spot for him to launch for the best chance to take the win that would be so crucial for his career.
