"I didn't have much left" - In ripped shorts, Ethan Hayter races into red jersey ahead of Pogacar, and loses it back
CyclingSunday, 23 August 2026 at 18:37
The second stage of the Vuelta a España was an absolute roller-coaster for Ethan Hayter. The Soudal - Quick-Step rider went into the breakaway of the day, jumped into the provisional lead of the race, and then lost it once again in a finale caught off in a split. He did all this with his shorts ripped up.
Hayter races in ripped shorts
Hayter's shorts, which he cut during the stage in the back of his legs, was a topic of discussions. "The organization, for some reason, they only gave me an extra small and didn't have any spare," he reveals in a post-race interview.
"They said 'you can wear your own team kit or the green jersey'. I can't wear my own team kit, you never know when it's your last day in the jersey. But then we started the race and it was like cutting the blood from my legs. It looked really silly but I was really suffering in the breakaway and I felt a lot better once I made some breathing room in my legs".
Ethan Hayter got bonifications in the breakaway of the day, but didn't take the jersey from Tadej Pogacar
Hayter chases red jersey in the breakaway
The Briton was second in the opening prologue in Monaco. The frustration was real after being beaten by Tadej Pogacar, but on stage 2 the Briton had a saying. Pogacar wouldn't try to keep the red jersey, and so Hayter got himself in the breakaway of the day and went on to capture 6 bonus seconds.
If the Quick-Step rider managed to finish in the peloton, and Pogacar did not finish in the first two positions on the stage, Hayter would be the new leader. He was not.
That is because in the finale, he crossed the finish line in Manosque in 80th position, 31 seconds behind the winners. He was not part of the second peloton that finished 18 seconds behind, featuring the likes of Felix Gall and João Almeida, but instead in a separate split behind.
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How did this happen? "Almost a crash and a small gap in the end, it was a hard finale for someone who's been in the breakaway. I didn't have the legs to move up any further than I was," he explained. "It's a shame, but a nice try".
For a second day in a row, the Briton was disappointed, not having achieved his goal. He dropped down the overall classification, ultimately making it very hard for him to still be within reach of coming into contact with the race lead.
"There was just one roundabout where they only had one lane open, and we almost stopped halfway up the bunch," the time trialist justified. "That was in the bottom. I was just sliding backwards in the climb, I didn't have much left for such a hard finish. Guys were doing full leadouts and then just stopping on the road so it's a bit tricky to be in the front".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Winning MSR, flanders x3, 2 wc, and 2x 2nd at roubaix, I is obvious that if the course doesn't suit Tadej, he just changes how it is raced. This also isn't 2022 where Jumbo has 5 to climbers and Tadej's only support was Marc Soler.typurc23-08-2026
- i get it. but bear in mind that cyclinguptodate is fundamentally a ROAD RACING site. it more or less ONLY covers mtb when either pidcock or van der poel are racing. same with gravel. but i’m sure there are mountain bike sites that will give your guy from red bull his due for the big win today.OCexile23-08-2026
- its getting out of hand i gotte agree.miguel23-08-2026
- its getting a bit out of hand the excuses every year i have to agree.miguel23-08-2026
- If the upcoming stages were flat, Pogi would probably have intentionally let go of the red jersey to avoid all the responsibilities. But now there's so much bait lying around for him in the next several stages, might as well just keep red.Ride197423-08-2026
- Yeah, but it's disproportionate. He is not facing random riders. The article gives the impression that Boichis won by fluke P.S I am a Red Bull fan so take this with a pinch of salt
Rafionain-Glas23-08-2026 - Yeah, he just needs to do some 40/20s and he'll be in the yellow jersey for realcoachChad23-08-2026
- being mathieu van der poel seems like a pretty good reason to get attention. i mean, he’s won some stuff. beyond that, it’s not like he’s some dilettante who showed up at les gets to have his picture taken then get blown out the back. this is his first xco in a YEAR and he finished 7 seconds back. i don’t know, that seems like a worthwhile story to me.OCexile23-08-2026
- He's only getting so much attention for this because he's Mathieu van der Poel. Adrien Boichis was one of Red Bull Bora hansgrohe's signings last year and he is a promising rider on the road too. He deserves a little more attentionRafionain-Glas23-08-2026
- sexist...drinkwhkman23-08-2026
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