Hayter dominates in Etten-Leur, wins time trial and orange leader’s jersey
Etten-Leur – On the roads where Vincent van Gogh once took his first steps as an artist, British rider Ethan Edward Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) created his own masterpiece today. The 27-year-old convincingly won the 14.8-kilometer time trial in and around Etten-Leur, overtaking his direct rival Jakob Söderqvist of Lidl-Trek in the general classification of the NIBC Tour of Holland.
Hayter started later in the day and saw on TV that the course ran along the path Van Gogh used during his time in Etten-Leur.
“That’s quite special,” said the Brit. Speaking about his race, Hayter said it was hard work. “It was tough. There were some leaves and mud from tractors on the road. It reminded me of Great Britain. I think I judged it well and gave everything until the finish. Aside from the speed bumps at the end, which you go over at 50-60 km/h, it was a beautiful, technical time trial.”
With an average speed of 52.4 kilometers per hour, Hayter finished in 16 minutes and 55 seconds, securing his second consecutive time trial victory, after already winning the prologue in The Hague on Tuesday. Behind him were Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) and Christophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease a Bike).
Finally, he looked ahead to the coming days:
“I’d love to keep the orange leader’s jersey until the end, but that will be difficult. Lidl-Trek has several riders close in the general classification, so they can make it tough for us. We’ll see what we can do.”
The Brabant atmosphere
Tour director Roxane Knetemann visibly enjoyed the day in Etten-Leur.
“We saw a super exciting battle for first and second today, and some real movement in the general classification. It’s wonderful to see that the whole of Etten-Leur turned out to watch the time trial. I’m also thrilled about the cycling festival at the finish, with the fat bike race where so many boys and girls participated. Everyone had a great time – it was one big party.”
Stage 2 results – Etten-Leur (14.8 km individual time trial)
- Ethan Hayter (GBR) – Soudal Quick-Step – 16:55.96
- Jakob Söderqvist (SWE) – Lidl-Trek – +0:03.87
- Christophe Laporte (FRA) – Team Visma | Lease a Bike – +0:15.54
- Alec Segaert (BEL) – Lotto Dstny – +0:16.45
- Daan Hoole (NED) – Lidl-Trek – +0:18.39
General classification after stage 2
- Ethan Hayter (GBR) – Soudal Quick-Step – 2h 54’ 28”
- Jakob Söderqvist (SWE) – Lidl-Trek – +0:02
- Christophe Laporte (FRA) – Team Visma | Lease a Bike – +0:19
- Alec Segaert (BEL) – Lotto Dstny – +0:24
- Daan Hoole (NED) – Lidl-Trek – +0:26
All results here:
