Sprint winner of stage two of the Tour de Romandie, this Thursday, Ethan Hayter grabbed the leader’s jersey at the same time. Romain Bardet finished third in a stage that saw Thibaut Pinot shine.
Briton chases the other at the Tour de Romandie controls. The day after Stage 1 winner Ethan Vernon (Soudal-Quick Step) took over the authority on Wednesday between Crissier and Vallée de Joux, another UK representative, Ethan Hayter, took a double-stroke turn, this Thursday during Stage 2 between Mortaux and La Chaux -de-Fonds (162.7 km). Like Vernon the day before, Hayter, who defends the colors of the Ineos Grenadiers team, took the stage and at the same time donned the leader’s jersey.
The 24-year-old Londoner, a former track (he was two-time Team Pursuit World Champion and Omnium World Champion) won the race ahead of Spain’s Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates Team), Romain Bardet (DSM Team), Italy’s Matteo Sobrero ( Jayco-AlUla) and another Briton Oscar Onley, who is none other than a fellow Ineos Grenadiers formation for the one who also has one European World Champion and two British time trial champions to his credit. It must be said that Haier, already a two-stage winner in the last edition of the same Tour de Romandie (extension and second stage), was able to capitalize at the end of his partners’ hard work to go and win this. His second victory this season after his success in the first stage of the Tour of the Basque Country.
Bardet and Pinot tried their luck
However, the hero of the day must have been far from telling himself he would be raising his arms later in the day when Tom Bohle (Team Tudor Pro Cycling) didn’t quite catch up to the men’s pace 34km from the finish. Up front, Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo), the best climber at the start of the Tour de Romandie, and Gleb Brusinski (Astana Kazakhstan) were still a minute ahead of the peloton. However, the counters were reset on the last climb – Municipal, climbed for the second time of the day – and this despite attempts by Bardet or even Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), finally 49th in the stage. So it was all played out again in the race (that was the case on Wednesday). The Ineos Grenadiers confirmed that Hayter approached him in perfect conditions. Mission accomplished for the Brit and young lieutenant Egan Bernal, who opens his counter at the Tour de Romandie.
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