There would be a few reasons Silence took McEwen to the Tour de France.
1. The bloke has about 100 pro wins and 12 Tour stage wins
2. Teams like to take a sprinter. If he wins a stage its good for team morale. McEwen is still one of the elite sprinters.
3. They aren't paying him $1,000,000 per year to sit on his **** at home to watch the Tour on TV or ride the Tour of Austria
4. He likely has a clause in his contract that he automatically gets a ride in the Tour unless he is injured.
5. He is one of the most tactically astute riders in the whole peloton
6. He is one of the most recognisable sportsmen in Belgium, which amazing enough is where the sponsor is based.
Geez you lot are farkin geniuses sometimes.