PARIS: Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan underwent surgery on Monday, a day after finishing last in the Tour de France, to have a plate removed from his collarbone which he broke last year, his Lotto team announced. Ewan, who was forced to retire in the third stage of last year’s Tour because of the fall, went into hospital for a checkup “to solve the issues he had with his shoulder and arm”, the Belgian team said on Twitter on Tuesday. “The decision was made to take out the plate that was placed on his collarbone. The surgery was succesful and further examinations will determine the recovery process.” The 28-year-old Australian sprinter, who fell again in the first week of this year’s race, again struggled, failing to add to his five previous stage wins. His best stage was on Sunday when he finished eighth on the Champs-Elysees but that was not enough to prevent him collecting the ‘red lantern’ for coming 135th and last in the general classification.