LONDON (BBC) - British time trial champion Ethan Hayter earned his first victory of the season on stage one of Itzulia Basque Country, outkicking the pack into the town of Labastida.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider, set up by his team-mate Omar Fraile, was the first to launch his sprint on the uphill finish, and held off Mauro Schmid (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jon Aberasturi (Trek-Segafredo) to the line.
Hayter’s victory comes just two months after he broke his collarbone in a crash at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which derailed his early-season calendar and forced him to miss the European Track Championships.
“It takes a bit of time to come back,” Hayter told the media after his victory in Spain. “[The Volta a] Catalunya was really hard and I was going alright, but actually those guys [Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel] were flying. It’s really nice to come here and pay my team back for what they’ve been doing for me.”
Recounting the final kilometers of Monday’s 165.4km stage from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Labastida, Hayter revealed that things almost didn’t go to plan. “I actually went through a bad patch,” he said. “I think maybe I didn’t drink quite enough or something and I was really struggling.
“Luckily I got back to the guys, they were obviously in the perfect position and there was crosswind. It wasn’t really strong, but when you’re going that speed, it makes a difference.”