Caleb Ewan surprised the entire cycling world when he hung onto the peloton in today's U23 world championships road race all the way to the finish and just got beaten in the sprint for 3rd by Norwegian Sondre Holst Enger. Known more for his fast sprinting legs than his climbing ability, the Australian not only took the observers off-guard. He never expected to finish so well himself.

The world championships course in Florence was regarded as one for the climbers or the toughest classics guys but as the number of remaining laps ticked down, it was a sprinter that became the more and more likely world champion. First year U23 rider Caleb Ewan surprised most with his great climbing legs and managed to stay with the main field all the way to the finish.

Observers and TV viewers all over the world always expected the Australian to fall off the pace but whenever a split time was taken at the top of the two main climbs on the world championships circuit, Ewan's name figured prominently near the top of the list. Not even the attacks on the final lap were enough to get rid of him and when the peloton passed the steep Via Salvati climb for the final time, he was even the first rider behind late attackers and eventual top 2 finishers Matej Mohoric and Louis Meintjes.

With the sprinters all being isolated, no one was able to bring back the front duo and so Ewan only got the chance to sprint for 3rd. He was beaten into 4th by Norwegian Sondre Holst Enger and so his fabulous effort wasn't rewarded with a medal.

Having never expected to be in contention on this tough course, Ewan had a bittersweet taste in his mouth when he was asked to assess the result.

"I am happy with how far into the race I got," he told CyclinQuotes after returning from the anti-doping control. "I came into the race not knowing what to expect because the course on paper was too hard for me. I surprised myself in how well I climbed and I couldn't have asked for much more really."

"I didn't expect to be there like I was but obviously because I got so close I am disappointed with that result but there's not much you can do."

Ewan has been virtually unbeatable on the U23 sprinting scene this scene but when it came to the sprint for a Worlds medal, he didn't have his usual success. The result was, however, more a result of a lack of teammates than a lack of speed.

"I had to go from 6-700m out because no one wanted to chase the break," he said. "If I didn't do anything, the American [Nathan Brown who had attacked inside the final kilometres] would have stayed away. I had to have a go and try to get a medal. Obviously, it was too far for me. He got me on the line."

With Ewan being uncertain over his own chances on the tough course, he wasn't the designated captain. With time trial world champion Damien Howson and strong climber Adam Phelan also in the line-up, the team had a couple of opportunities. As the race went on, it became, however, increasingly likely that Ewan would survive all the way to the end.

"I was one of the options," he said. "Because the race was going to be so hard, we didn't know what to expect. We had other options as well but obviously I just climbed better than I thought and better than the managers thought."

Having shown great versatility and taken fantastic results during his first year in the U23 ranks, Ewan is obviously a hot prospect for the future. At just 19 years of age, he prefers, however, to stay where he is for another year.

"I'll stay for another year in the under 23s and then hopefully I will go pro the year after, maybe for 2015," he told CyclingQuotes.

The result continued Ewan's great run of Worlds success after his 2nd place in the junior ranks last year. The man who got the better of him, was the same as last year. Maybe the third time is the charm for Ewan in the internal battle with Mohoric.