Caleb Ewan's manager is unsure what comes next after the Australian cycling star was given a fierce public dressing down by his team boss.
Stephane Heulot, the general manager of the Belgian Lotto-Dstny team, was savage in his assessment after Ewan abandoned the Tour de France on stage 13.
It continued a below-par season for the sprint ace, who had two podium finishes on stages in the opening week of the Tour before struggling in the mountains.
Ewan, normally a prolific winner, only has one victory so far this season and the tumultuous circumstances around his Tour departure point to trouble with team management.
His Geelong-based manager Jason Bakker immediately hit out after Heulot said Ewan's Tour abandon was "a reflection of what he showed this season and last year.”
Bakker remains angry and unsure about what is in store for Ewan, noting the sprinter is contracted to the team until the end of next year.
"It's not in a good spot at the moment when the general manager is speaking about you that way, publicly," Bakker told AAP.
"It's not in a good spot if he's speaking about you privately that way, but when it's public, it's not a good spot.
"Unless they have a plan or they're thinking of some other course of action or direction or whatever, as far as I'm concerned, he's contracted there."
Bakker hopes there can be private dialogue between Ewan and the team, rather than public commentary.
"It doesn't do a lot for the relationship, does it? Logic tells you there's a bit of healing to be done and probably some conversations or communications to be had ... as opposed to a public forum," he said.
Ewan and his wife Ryann Delany are expecting their third child in the next couple of weeks and Bakker said that other some exchanging some texts, he'd given the cyclist some space.
"I know the drill, I know what's happened," Bakker said
"I imagine we'll let the dust settle and we'll have some chats about it.
"People withdraw from Grand Tours. It's hardly the first time it's happened. I don't think it's ideal for any rider."
Bakker conceded Ewan's form had dipped this year, adding he had not raced as often as he'd have liked ahead of the Tour.
But he backed the sprinter to regain his winning ways, with Bakker referring to another well-known Australian cyclist he has managed in Cadel Evans.
"How many times was Cadel written off before he won the Tour de France?," Bakker said.
