Ethan Hayter’s first season at Soudal – Quick-Step has been something
of a bumpy road. The 26-year-old British rider, crowned national road race
champion in 2024 and a three-time national time trial champion, is set to make
his return to Grand Tour racing at the 2025 Vuelta a España later this month.
It will be his second three-week race of 2025 after the Giro d’Italia earlier
this year ended in disappointment.
The Giro was a setback for Hayter, who battled
stomach-related illness and left the race unable to show the form that had
brought him early-season results. Since then, he has been working to rebuild,
using the Tour de Pologne this week as a stepping stone towards the Vuelta.
"I'm not great here, to be honest, compared to what I
expected," he told Cycling News. "But I'm working through it. I'm not
quite feeling myself, a bit slow and heavy. It's a bit of a shame, I wanted to
stay a bit closer to GC and see what I could do there, maybe."
Hayter acknowledged the challenge of finding form after a
long gap from racing. "It's been five weeks since my last race, so
hopefully I'll be getting better as time goes on." He added that while
nothing is guaranteed, the Vuelta is firmly in his plans. "I think I'm
doing it, although until you're on the plane, you never know for sure."
Hayter’s only previous Grand Tour experience came with INEOS
Grenadiers, the team he left at the end of 2024 to join Quick-Step. That Giro
debut earlier this year, illness aside, gave him a valuable reference point for
three-week racing. "I only did that one Grand Tour with Ineos, so two is
going to be a bit of an unknown, but I came out of the Giro quite good,"
he explained.
His national titles, both on the road and against the clock,
prove his versatility, and he showed flashes of that form earlier in the
season. "I did OK in Belgium and Nationals, so I want to get back to how I
was there, feeling sharper in the races," he said.
The Vuelta will offer Hayter the opportunity to test himself
again over three weeks, this time with a clearer sense of what to expect. With
a mix of sprint stages, time trials, and testing climbs, the race could play to
his all-round capabilities, provided he can recover the sharpness he had
earlier in the year.
"Hopefully, I can improve there [in the Vuelta].
There's a bit of unfinished business there for sure," he said, hinting at
his determination to turn the season around.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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