TOULOUSE, France — A bit more than a year ago, Caleb Ewan was devastated to be left out of the Tour de France.

An Australian sprinter, Ewan had to watch cycling’s biggest race on television after finding out at the last minute that his Mitchelton-Scott team was placing all its bets on Adam Yates in the fight for the yellow jersey, and would leave Ewan at home.

A year later, Ewan earned his first Tour victory in a close sprint in Stage 11 in Toulouse on Wednesday.

“I was ready for the Tour three or four years ago: I always wanted to go straight to the top races,” said Ewan, whose daughter was born just before the race started. “I’ve been held back. I finally got my chance.”