Ewan had one year remaining with Lotto-Dstny but opted to leave the Belgian team after their relegation from the WorldTour in 2022 triggered a release clause in his contract.
Now, Ewan will look to put a turbulent season behind him as he returns to the Australian GreenEDGE Cycling team he first left five years ago, when they were still known as Mitchelton-Scott.
“It means a lot to me to come back to GreenEDGE. I had a lot of success with the squad in the past, it's obviously where I started my professional career, so I have really good memories from being with GreenEDGE those first few years,” Ewan said of his return.
“For me, it will be nice being back in the Australian culture and English-speaking environment. Being an Australian and riding for an Australian team is very special.
"There are a lot of riders and staff that I have worked with before, many of my old teammates remain, so it will be great to work with everyone again and I think the transition back will be smooth.
“I’m definitely coming back to the team as a more experienced rider, in the last few years I've won the biggest race of my career and I think I've developed a lot as a rider and also as a leader.
"When I joined the team initially, I was only 19 or 20, so I was very young. I learnt a lot from the experienced guys that were already there and used that going forward in my career.
“I have developed as a person and as a rider and I look forward to coming back in more of a leadership role. It will be great to be able to help the younger Australian riders too, to reach their potential and in that way also give back to the team.
“The main thing for me will be getting back to winning ways and I hope to bring a lot of success to the team. It will be a strong roster for 2024.”
At 29 years of age, Ewan still has plenty to offer at the top end of WorldTour sprint finishes and proved as much during this year’s Tour de France where - minus a legitimate leadout - he finished third and second on back-to-back stages.
His subsequent withdrawal from the French Grand Tour drew public criticism from Lotto-Dstny boss Stephane Heulot, which would soon set the wheels in motion for his prospected move to Jayco AlUla.
Ewan, who has over 60 victories to his name, made his professional debut with GreenEDGE at the Vuelta a Espana in 2015 and went on to post wins at the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Britain and Abu Dhabi Tour.
His return was labelled as "very special" by Jayco AlUla general manager Brent Copeland, who is eager to see the five-time Tour stage winner challenge alongside teammate Dylan Groenewegen.
“Caleb needs no introduction with the incredible list of results that he has and of course, as he spent the first four and a half years of his professional career with the team - we know what to expect with Caleb and he is one of the world’s best sprinters,” Copeland said.
“For us to have another Australian rider with such calibre joining us, it is very special, and he will provide us with another fantastic option to challenge for sprint finishes.
"We have been working hard to add depth to our men’s team and with the addition of another top-level sprinter into our ranks, we are certainly going to be looking for wins in all races that we see Caleb and Dylan line up in.”
