Some time ago, while chatting about the track, Silvio Martinello he told us that in his opinion ethan hayter One day he could have even won a major Giro. The Englishman had shown a fairly clear superiority in the omnium at the World Championships in Roubaix. The rainbow jersey seemed a natural consequence of his stepping onto the court. And perhaps that's why that phrase resounded even louder.
Martinello's words buzzed in your head. And then, rewinding the tape, you realize that in fact this boy, for example, Coppi and Bartali first wins the sprint stage and then runs away uphill with vingegaard. All that remains is to throw this idea into the discussion, almost as a provocation, Dario David Cioni, sports director and trainer at Ineos-Grenadiers.
Is that right, Dario? Can Hayter win a major Giro?
For me, Ethan is a super versatile rider, but there's a long way to go before he wins a major Giro. He's very strong. He can do a lot, and he's already shown some. He's strong in time trials, good on climbs and even throws himself into sprints, but I think he'd struggle a lot in the long mountain stages. I don't know how competitive it can be.
What margins do you think it has?
He has a lot, especially because he's still quite young. Until last year, he spent more time on the track than on the road. British Cycling we know that it is less flexible than ours Federation and with the Games in between, he had to leave the road several months before to concentrate only on the track, only to return only months later at the Tour of Norway (opening photo, ed.) which he won. In Roubaix, during the omnium elimination, he “played”. Elijah (Viviani, ed.) told me that he was always in front, he accelerated while sitting and the others remained behind.
So the Hayter-Grand Tours hypothesis is impossible?
I'm saying it will definitely happen. I don't know if it'll be next year or in 2023, although not to aim for the rankings, at least not initially. First, it should improve some aspects, such as the position on the bike on the road.
What do you mean?
I mean a little in a group and a little in the saddle. Ethan still falls a lot. It's not his strong point and he needs to work on it a bit.
Should Hayter distort his physique like Wiggins did to aim for the Grand Tours?
Not so much. Ethan has already won a stage with a mountain finish in the Algarve. Clearly, the level wasn't the highest, but he still beat some climbers. Plus, I'm a bit skeptical about changing your physique. It might gain something on the way up, but it would lose many of the characteristics that make it successful.
Let's think about it. Aside from the three strongest stage racers—Roglic, Bernal, and Pogačar—we've often seen how a Grand Giro, or indeed a stage race, is often decided by time bonuses and stages with tense finishes. In this sense, Hayter's characteristics are perfect: one day he gains 10 seconds plus the time bonus, the next day he gains another 3 seconds...
Let's say yes. He could then ride defensively in the high mountain stages and gain ground in the intermediate and time trial stages. Not to mention that he often throws himself into bunch sprints as well. For me he could end up wearing the leader's jersey in the Grand Tours. It's too early to think about the overall rankings now. However, if he were to make a good escape… then everything would change.
You said that in the mountains, in the big stages, he should defend himself: how much does he lack in terms of numbers, watts/kilo, compared to the current big names?
I don't know his exact stats, but he should definitely lose some weight. However, working on his time trial – he's also a national time trial champion – we've seen that It has an excellent power curve both over short and long distances. And in the effort under a minute it is even stronger than Ganna.
How do you think he would react if the idea of aiming for the overall standings were proposed to him?
He's a boy open to change. He listens, he's calm, and he does what he's told.
What struck you about this boy?
In a track race a few years ago, he took the lap, or maybe even two, with extreme ease. And then he impressed me this year at the Tour of Norway. He was very strong on his return. Even there, it wasn't a top-level race, but there was the Jumbo Visma which has Norwegian sponsors and was aggressive. Well, they attacked him but he did not waver of a millimeter.
