"I don't know what's really going on to be honest" - Departing INEOS Grenadiers rider confused by team's chaotic situation
Cycling
Ethan Hayter won the road race national championships in Great Britain, but had a largely absent year. He is leaving INEOS Grenadiers this season and at the Track World Championships where he is currently competing, the Briton admits that there is something wrong in the team and he doesn't quite understand it.
At least that's how it phrases it, as naturally he would not be openly criticizing the team where he has raced throughout his whole career, which started in 2020. The Briton has proved to be an extremely versatile rider, winning sprints, time-trials, hilly races and even World Tour stage-races. However 2023 and mainly 2024 were two much more complicated years where the results simply were not as good. Hayter and INEOS are splitting at the end of this season.
"I don't know what's really going on to be honest, I've had a tricky year working with them and once I was leaving it was even trickier," he said in an interview with Eurosport. The team continues to have a very high budget, but over the past year it has lost several strong leaders in several terrains and has not been able to replace them. This year Tom Pidcock may leave despite having three years remaining of contract, and his non-selection from Il Lombardia (decided by team management, with no reason given) was a chaotic situation that seemed to harm anyone involved.
"Yeah I don't know, I wish them all the best next year but they could do with a couple changes" is how Hayter puts it. This is widely agreed on social media, many of which look down upon the team's decisions over the past few years. However there is the possibility of an important change now, as after 15 years of existence the British team seems to be on the way to finally partner with a development team - something rival teams have implemented years ago and have greatly benefitted from it.
Hayter is joining Soudal - Quick-Step next year where he should be focusing on the same kind of races, but could benefit from new motivation. "Time for a change. Yeah it's exciting, the team really has passion for racing and I'm excited to get started," he concluded.
Read also
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.
claps 4visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Unexpectedly frank interview with Ethan Hayter at track worlds on leaving Ineos: "I've had a tricky year working with them, and once I was leaving it was even trickier. They could do with a couple of changes". 📽️ Eurosport Cycling (YouTube) youtube.com/shorts/Mq4P4PL…
3 Comments