"I’m looking for a team to give me a home" - British promise Leo Hayter officially makes his bid to return to pro cycling

Leo Hayter was one of the single most promising riders a few years ago having won the under-23 Giro in 2022 months before signing his first contract with INEOS Grenadiers. But the 23-year old suffered a lot from the pressure of being a pro cyclist and his problems with mental health which saw him going separate ways with INEOS Grenadiers during the 2024 season. A year after losing his spot in the World Tour, he has taken to social media to announce he is actively looking for a team and has set goals in mind.

"As you may have seen, I announced recently that I’m looking to rejoin the Peloton in 2026. I’m confident that I am in a place mentally that will allow that to be successful. Is everything perfect? No. But part of this process has been being at peace with the fact that it probably never will be," Hayter said in a message shared on social media. "Learning ways to overcome those hard days, rather than beating myself up that they happen in the first place".

The Briton was very open about his battle with mental health and how he lost his passion for cycling, spent months without training and gained a substantial amount of weight during a complicated 2024. But after a lot of work and support from fans and family - as well as medical - he feels mentally fit to return to the sport where he has given a lot of hopes.

"Physically I’m still pretty unfit, I have a lot of weight to lose and to do that in the right way takes a lot of time. I still wanted a goal to motivate me this year, so I decided to focus on the Chrono des Nations in October," he says, reinforcing the plan he had previously announced a few months ago. "I neglected the TT discipline in the last few years, but it’s something I enjoy the process of, and I’m actually quite good at! To perform in a road race after hours of racing, without any miles in my legs just wouldn’t be realistic this year, so this is a goal which is definitely optimistic, but also possible".

Realistically he is not going to jump back on the World Tour immediately but due to his known talent and young age it is very likely that, with the transfer season starting now, there will be teams interested in the former INEOS rider. He is looking for a return to cycling as soon as possible but under the right conditions we could see him return to his impressive climbing performances.

"I’d like to arrive on the podium, but to be honest I’d be quite happy to just arrive and do my best performance on a time trial bike. There’s one hitch; since it’s a UCI 1.1 category race, I must be riding for a continental team or above to compete. I’m looking for a team to give me a home for the race," he adds. "I don’t need any external support, or funding, I just need a jersey and an opportunity".

"Ideally, I would like to be able to use my own bike/equipment. I can cover all the branding. In the end to perform at a TT of this level, if all the details aren’t right you don’t really have a chance. I bought my Pinarello last year and have put quite some hours into it, so to change everything so late in the year just wouldn’t work. It’s a big ask, but if any teams are interested in being a part of my story, please contact me at [email protected]. I’m sure I can score you a few UCI points too".