Ethan Hayter looking to build on Grand Tour debut at Tour de Pologne - "I'll have a good chance"

Ethan Hayter is likely one of, if not the most talented rider in the current pro peloton that is yet to make a debut in a Grand Tour, however the time is likely arriving as he's set to race the Vuelta a Espana later this month.

"It's definitely a 'don't-know-til-you-try' one, but I've done a good training camp with the team. Hopefully, tomorrow [stage 3] will be good for me. It's certainly a good finish for me," Hayter told Cyclingnews on the second day of the Polish race where Hayter is looking to get form towards his likely Grand Tour debut, but will also be hunting strong results. 

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With a set of hilly stages and a hilly time-trial, the British all-rounder will be a strong contestant for the overall win, aswell as many of the stages that follow in the coming days. He comes as one of the many cards INEOS Grenadiers have to play, but is perhaps the best if he carries the form he's shown in recent years.

"For the overall, I'll hopefully have a good crack at it. They changed the time trial, it was meant to be 16 kilometres with a flatter section at the start, but now it's 11 kilometres," he revealed. "But I think it still could be good for me, depending on how the other stages play out, I could have a chance of the lead. I'll keep myself up there and see what happens."

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Over the opening two stages INEOS have been absent with both Hayter and Viviani missing out on the sprints, however the hills will be more selective and provide a different challenge. Hayter is looking towards the Vuelta a Espana, as he's set to make his Grand Tour debut in a route that suits his skills well.

"There's a lot of guys going for it in the team, and we don't exactly know who's going, but hopefully I'll have a good chance," Hayter said. "After missing out on the Tour, it'd be quite exciting to do that."

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"After last year was really good, with 15 wins, I hoped to step on from that. Obviously with Romandie and the Dauphiné it was really good. But before that I struggled and then I didn't get selected for the Classics," he said. However his opportunity will likely come. Although he's not having the results he's shown this year, with positioning and some illnesses the main reason, he's still taken wins at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, Tour de Romandie and the British time-trial championship.

"But that was also my form. I had COVID, then I went straight into the racing and I didn't quite have the right preparation for the races," he explained. "And I was doing well, but not at my best, but I've been getting better and better since and that's good". He'll be hoping to show his true legs in Poland this week, and confirm his selection on a highly disputed INEOS lineup for the final Grand Tour of the season.

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