Ewan followed a bold winning move by New Zealand National Team’s experienced rider Greg Henderson after the halfway mark of the one-hour bay criterium around Ritchie Boulevard.

"I just got in the right move," Ewan explained after being celebrated on the podium. "(Henderson) has raced like that before here and won, so I knew when he went that it could be the winning break, so I had to jump on it straight away."

Such was the dominance of Ewan and Henderson, the field was all but lapped and as a result battled it out for third position three laps prior to the official finish.

"I was glad the peloton were pulled out early," Ewan continued. "I didn’t want to get involved with them because it upsets everything and I don’t think that would be fair for neither them nor us."

"I thought (Henderson) was going to sit on me for the full last lap but he came through and wanted to lead it out and that worked perfectly for me."

The "Bay Crits" mark the start of Ewan’s first full season with Orica-GreenEdge, stepping up to a full time position from stagiaire in October.

"It felt so good," Ewan said.  "There is alot of pressure on me coming back to these crits and it’s a lot of pressure lifted off my shoulders when I win here."

Orica sport director Matt Wilson was thrilled with the win, despite some early concerns with his young star's move.

"Unbelievable," Wilson said. "We came here with just three guys with the thought to target other stages more specifically, but Caleb surprised everyone."

"I thought (the Ewan move) was a bit too early with him being one of the fastest guys in the field," he admitted. "But clearly he felt strong and he was actually covering Henderson which was a good move."

Headed by Australian time trial champion Michael Hepburn, the Orica-GreenEdge team kept the pace hot at the front for the first half of the race, enough to reduce the field from 80 riders to just 19 finishers.

"Hepburn really showed his form coming up to the time trial national championships next week," Wilson said.

The 2015 Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic will remain in Geelong for day two, shifting just up the road to Eastern Park.  A two-kilometer circuit of the Gardens with a long straight to the finish will meet the riders in a day likely to suit the road racers.