Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ethan Hayter – World Team Pursuit Champion at 19

"I think cracking the 3:50 barrier is very possible; each year I’ve ridden the discipline I’ve improved five seconds – and that’s me down to 3:53."

-

HomeInterviewsEthan Hayter - World Team Pursuit Champion at 19

Let’s take a look at the composition of the GB team which won Worlds team pursuit gold at Apeldoorn the other week.

Ed Clancy: check, ‘in with the bricks,’ he’s three times an Olympic team pursuit champion; a multiple Worlds, Commonwealth and national champion and one of the best team pursuiters the world has ever seen.

Kian Emadi: check, moved over from the team sprint squad to the team pursuit squad, we interviewed him back in 2013 when he turned out a sub 59 second kilometre in Aguascalientes.

Charlie Tanfield: check, one of Dan Bigham’s KGF boys who has been going so fast that BC couldn’t ignore him and drafted him onto the squad.

Ethan Hayter: who?

Well, if you’d been paying more attention than us you would know that in 2016 in Belgium he won the tough junior races, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, GP Serge Baguet, De Klijte-Heuvaelland, was in the winning team in junior European team pursuit champs and was British Madison champion with Joe Holt.

Ethan Hayter
Ethan Hayter. Photo©Lancashire Telegraph

Last year Ethan won the u23 Berlin Six Day (I was there but maybe I missed the result due to sleep deprivation ?) with Matt Walls, took a medal in every British track championship he rode – individual pursuit (3rd), team pursuit (2nd), points (2nd), scratch (1st), omnium (2nd) and Madison (1st) and was part of the winning u23 Europeans team pursuit squad.

This season he began training with the senior team in January and was world champion within weeks, at 19 years-of-age.

We need to catch up with this young man,’ we thought to ourselves at VeloVeritas:

You were a Herne Hill boy originally with Velo Club Londres?

“Yes, and not so long ago, Herne Hill was my local track, that’s where I started racing, with VCL.”

You won the junior Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2016?

“Yes, it was a good start to that year, John Barclay took us over to the race, John has helped so many riders out over the years.

“I won my first three races but then I broke my collarbone in a crash and missed a lot of racing.

“When I got back on the bike we won the Euro u23 team pursuit and I was placed in most stages and second overall in the Trofeo Karlsberg which is an important junior stage race in Germany, part of the UCI Nations Cup.”

Ethan Hayter
Ethan on the top step of the 2016 u23 Kuurne Brussels Kuurne. Photo©directvelo

You ran amok at the British Track Champs at the start of 2017.

“Yes, I managed to win a medal in every event I rode; we were a little tired coming into the champs right after a training camp and I raced for four days straight at the Nationals – but it was all good experience.”

You rode quite a heavy stage race programme last year, was that a conscious part of a build up for the team pursuit?

“No, just part of the BC Academy road programme; the Tour of Yorkshire, Paris-Arras, the GP Priessnitz, the Tour of Alsace and Tour of Britain.

“I was tired a lot of the time but at the same time getting as much experience on the road as I could.”

When did you join the Worlds team pursuiters to train for Apeldoorn.

“January, someone dropped out ill and I was brought in.

“I can’t remember who it was but the training wasn’t so different for what I had done with the u23 squad; remember that we’d ridden a 3:57 in u23 competition and done a lot of work for the event.”

Ethan Hayter
Ethan tucked in behind TP powerhouse Ed Clancy. Photo©TrackWorldCup

Ed Clancy is a real stalwart on that squad.

“He was Olympic champion before I’d even thought about cycling, he stays very relaxed no matter what, he doesn’t stress; it’s good to be around him, you need that calm at the highest levels.”

You were new to the squad and so too was Charlie Tanfield, how did he fit in?

“He was actually training with them before me, he wasn’t the smoothest to start with but by race day it had gelled and we were a smooth unit.”

How did you adopt to the mega gears?

“I was on 108” which is lower than the rest of the team, that means I’m pedalling faster than the others but I’m used to junior gears so high cadence isn’t a problem for me and I’ve built strength from my road programmes.”

What about those lovely GB Cervélos?

“They took a while to get used to but they’re much nicer machines than I was used to riding on the Academy.

“On the Academy you don’t get the absolute top line equipment – but that’s fair enough, isn’t it?”

How were the nerves lining up for that team pursuit final in Apeldoorn?

“I think I was more nervous at the start of the u23 road Worlds in Bergen.

“In Apeldoorn we were in a small hotel, a tight team environment which was good – I was nervous but I don’t really get super-nervous before races.”

Ethan Hayter
Kian Emadi, Charlie Tanfield, Ethan and Ed Clancy enjoy the win at the world championships. Photo©bbc

What’s next on the agenda?

“The Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast where I’ll be riding the individual and team pursuits plus points race and scratch – that’ll be four consecutive days of racing.”

What about the 3:50 ‘barrier’?

“I think it’s very possible; it’s strange for me because each year I’ve ridden the discipline I’ve improved five seconds – and that’s me down to 3:53.

“I think the GB team could have cracked it in Rio during the Olympics given different atmospheric conditions – that and the condition of the track are big factors.”

What about the future?

“I have individual pursuit ambitions, I’ve only ridden a couple but had the national junior record with a 3:14 for a spell.

“I want to speak to management and discuss what I’m going to be doing on the road in 2018, I want to do as much as I can without it affecting my track speed.

“And of course there are the Tokyo Olympics by which time I’ll be 21 years-old and looking to join a World Tour team.”

A young man who knows what he wants to do, we’ll be keeping an eye on his progress, beginning with the Commonwealth Games in just a couple of weeks’ time.

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Paul Double – Stepping up to UCI ProTeam Level

Young Englishman Paul Double is a wee bit of a ‘forgotten man’ - out there in an Italian continental team racing against some of the world’s best - but not by VeloVeritas. Paul’s results this year are all the more commendable given he was hit by a car early in the year and had to fight back to fitness.

Bas Tietema – “Continental level is not our final destination”

There are many ways to become a professional cyclist, but Dutchman Bas Tietema must be unique in his path; come up through the ranks, start a YouTube channel, get a contract with a Belgian Conti team, then start your own team. We had to find out more.

Aldo Sassi – Our 2009 Interview with the Late, Great Coach

In these times devoid of racing it’s that much harder to produce content so we look back at work we’ve done in the past for inspiration. A decade ago I was fortunate to get an introduction from professional - and now DS with EF – Charly Wegelius, to the late, great, Aldo Sassi one of the most respected coaches of his generation.

John Archibald – CTT 25 Mile Champion with a 48:13

That man John Archibald is back in action again – and with a 48 minutes and 13 seconds ‘BANG !’ down on the Westferry course in the CTT ‘25’ Champs on Sunday past. It gave us a good excuse to catch up with the Commonwealth Games individual pursuit silver medallist and see what he’s been up to since The Gold Coast and what’s next on the agenda for him?

At Random

KBC Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde – Day 2, Middelkerke to Zottegem

Stage one is Middelkerke (home to the Tom Boonen fan club) to Zottegem, wearing-on for 200 K, when you include two laps of a circuit in the 'bergs' near Oudenaarde. All of the hills which give Het Volk, Kuurne, De Panne and Flanders their particular character are contained within a relatively small area.

Stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia 2010 – Redux

Apologies for not updating the site for a little while folks - we've both been very busy with our day jobs. Ed has been clearing the decks before heading over to Italy to cover the Giro d'Italia shortly, and so to get us in the mood we thought you'd enjoy revisiting one of our diary articles from Stage 11 of last year's race, a 262km haul from Lucera to L'Aquila, when a break of over 50 riders threatened to overturn the race completely...

Alan Hewitt

I wasn’t privileged enough to call Alan Hewitt a close friend but he was certainly a pal and on the infrequent – unfortunately for me - occasions I met him in recent years he would always greet me as a long lost brother with that smile, a hearty chuckle and a big, strong handshake. Alas, there’ll be no more of those.

Tour Down Under 2012 – Starting NOW!

The pro cycling season kicks off today with the Tour Down Under. Finally! It feels longer and longer between the end of the previous season and the start of the next. But thankfully the wait is over and we are away.