03 Apr 2023
Hayter wins Basque Country opener
Related riders
Ethan Hayter
Itzulia Basque Country - Stage 1 » Vitoria-Gasteiz › Labastida, 165.4km
Ethan Hayter ensured the INEOS Grenadiers got off to a perfect start in the Basque Country with sprint victory on stage one.
The Brit notched up his first win of 2023 in style, latching on to a brilliant final lead-out from Omar Fraile on the uphill drag into Labastida. Launching into the final 100 metres, there was no stopping Hayter, who also moved into the early race lead.
It was a strong day all round for the team, who committed to the cause early and set about controlling the race. Egan Bernal got through a lot of work on the front alongside Brandon Rivera.
In the early GC battle it was a good opening day for Dani Martinez, who jumped out of the pack to snare three bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint with 20km to go. The Colombian edged out Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) with an impressive turn of speed. Finishing high up in the bunch, Martinez sits fourth overall, just seven seconds back on his teammate.
Luke Plapp set the final lead-out in motion and also finished on the end of the tail bunch. All in all it was a great start for the team, with Hayter pulling on the yellow jersey.
The Brit notched up his first win of 2023 in style, latching on to a brilliant final lead-out from Omar Fraile on the uphill drag into Labastida. Launching into the final 100 metres, there was no stopping Hayter, who also moved into the early race lead.
It was a strong day all round for the team, who committed to the cause early and set about controlling the race. Egan Bernal got through a lot of work on the front alongside Brandon Rivera.
In the early GC battle it was a good opening day for Dani Martinez, who jumped out of the pack to snare three bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint with 20km to go. The Colombian edged out Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) with an impressive turn of speed. Finishing high up in the bunch, Martinez sits fourth overall, just seven seconds back on his teammate.
Luke Plapp set the final lead-out in motion and also finished on the end of the tail bunch. All in all it was a great start for the team, with Hayter pulling on the yellow jersey.
Egan Bernal continued his selfless work for the team
Reaction
- Ethan Hayter
"It’s amazing. My team really backed me, even after I wasn’t amazing in Catalunya. But I stepped up I think and they were all in for me today. I’ve just got to thank them. [Omar’s] an expert in the Basque Country and this final was perfect. I just had to do the last 100 metres.
- Ethan Hayter
"It’s amazing. My team really backed me, even after I wasn’t amazing in Catalunya. But I stepped up I think and they were all in for me today. I’ve just got to thank them. [Omar’s] an expert in the Basque Country and this final was perfect. I just had to do the last 100 metres.
"It’s really nice, especially to get my first win this year. I broke my collarbone in Australia and it took me a while to come back from that. Hopefully this gives me more confidence to keep going forward."
