Who knows why when the news came out Leo Hayter to the Ineos-Grenadiers We weren't that surprised! He's English, a winner, with his brother Ethan already on Sir Brailsford's battleship... everything seemed almost natural.
Face of an "angel", gentle ways, but in running an uncommon determination and an incredible tenacity, as well as a lot of strength. We got to know him in the days of Giro d'Italia U23A tour that he deservedly won.
“I am really proud and excited to join Ineos Grenadiers next year,” said Leo. I will race at the highest level of the sport and I will do so on a British team. A team that has inspired me since I started competing. Having participated in a few training camps with them, I already feel really at home here and now I can't wait to get started."
Five crucial days
From the liberating and, if you like, incredulous tears of Pinzolo to the pink jersey worn at the top of the Colle della Fauniera. In those five days Leo grew like never before. Over those five days, we witnessed an incredible crescendo of awareness. And it was evident along the steep slopes of the long Piedmont climb, in how he managed the effort, starting on the day in Pinerolo when he withdrew before the final climb to cross the finish line away from the risks and enjoy that final kilometer in the pink jersey of the U23 Giro.
And safety, managing the person even before the athlete is what is needed when you move "over there", among the big ones and even more so in a team like the Ineos-Grenadiers.
Axel Merckx He knew how to touch the right buttons with him and this summer he made a man out of him. I had taken him this winter at the Hagen Bermans Axeon, when Leo was left stranded despite having won the Liège U23.
"We saw a very strong rider," Axel explains, "both physically and mentally. Then, with that lead, almost 5 minutes, it was also "easy" to manage. As I already told you in Pinerolo, he had to stay on track until he was 5 minutes from the top and then do a time trial. And that's what he did.
«No, no… it's strong. He remained calm throughout the Giro, perhaps even too calm on certain occasions! But he trusted the team and did a great job overall."
Ineos as a home
Merckx knew that Leo Hayter would move up to the WorldTour, but even he wasn't sure which team he would do it with.
«But I imagined – says Axel – that he would pass by with them. His brother is already there, he is English, the team is English and he finds an environment that is familiar to him.
«For me Leo is ready for the transition. You can't keep a guy like that who wins the U23 Giro for another year. It will be up to the task, then it is clear that It will have to improve some aspects, the most important of which concerns the descent. He has some problems on fast corners and technical descents and we saw that at the Giro too."
Axel Merckx with Leo Hayter Leo Hayter celebrates in Pinerolo. The U23 Giro is his (photo by Extra Giro)
Axel Merckx with Leo Hayter Leo Hayter celebrates in Pinerolo. The U23 Giro is his (photo by Extra Giro)
Stage races
Meanwhile Leo after a few days spent in Italy with his girlfriend, the Italian Francesca Barale, after the U23 Giro, he returned to give it his all in Andorra and he did it with the boys of his future team. Hayter will be a trainee until the end of the season and a full Ineos rider from January 1, 2023. The contract ties him to this team until 2025, so it is a three-year contract.
But what can we expect from him? What kind of rider will we find among the top riders? Often, someone who excels among the U23s on a given terrain doesn't necessarily do the same among the pros. Simone Consonni, for example, he won a very challenging U23 Italian Championship, and among the pros he is a sprinter.
Leo also won the national title. He's strong on climbs. And he's never slowed down in sprints. What kind of rider will he be, then?
"For me," Merckx continues, "Hayter is a strong rider with a strong drive. He's fast in time trials and on climbs, even if he's clearly not a pure climber. It goes fast uphill, because, as I said, it has an engine. And it was seen on the day of his second victory, when towards Santa Caterina Valfurva he left everyone behind in the final hour. After 5.000 meters of altitude difference he did not slow down.
«Will a Liege win among the pros too? It's not impossible, but I see it more for stage races. Maybe the one-day races should be as tough as a Lombardy. He can then take advantage of the breakaways.
«I'm convinced, especially at the beginning, that it will surprise more than a few people. If Leo gets into any breakaways, he'll go all the way, because he's holding up well, he's resilient. Let's get back to what we were talking about before the final hour of the race."
The word
And what does the person who is supposed to welcome him say?
Dario David Cioni He had already mentioned their green line. Every year they add at least one "super" young player. It's been like this with many guys. Let's think about Carlos Rodriguez or Leo's own brother, Ethan.
«We've been following Leo for a few years now. – Cioni tells us – also because we had his brother on the team. He wasn't a stranger to us. We saw what he was up to and learned some things from Ethan. Plus, he had already done some internships with our team. Now we will have him permanently from next year, but he will be with us from October."
"He did his last training camp with us in Andorra a few days ago. He was there with 14 riders, and I must say I noticed a very professional guy already. Compared to its brother, it seems more of a climber to me. It's slower, but it's better on long climbs. So yes, I agree with Axel when he says that he is suitable for stage races."
