Ethan Hayter takes final stage of Ruta del Sol 2021, as Miguel Ángel López wins overall
The Brit took another victory from climber’s sprint finish as two riders went down next to him
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Ethan Hayter was victorious on the final stage of the Ruta del Sol 2021, as Miguel Ángel López took the overall title in Spain.
Hayter won stage five, a short 107km run from Vera to Pulpí, from a climber’s sprint, after a lumpy day in Andalucia.
As Hayter took his victory, two riders went down hard in the sprint alongside him, with Daryl Impey (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Robert Stannard (Team BikeExchange) both hitting the deck.
Article continues belowThe Ineos Grenadiers rider claimed his fifth pro win, bringing his tally of 2021 wins to four.
López (Movistar) finished in the front group on stage five, taking fourth place, securing the overall title by 20 seconds ahead of Antwan Tolehoek (Jumbo-Visma). Hayter finished seventh overall, 2-13 behind Lopez.
Hayter has been a star rider this season, having won a stage of Coppi e Bartali stage race in March, then taking a stage of the Volta ao Algarve.
The 22-year-old almost won overall in Algarve, but lost time in a crash on the stage four time trial before he was distanced on the final stage, eventually finishing second.
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He then bounced back from the disappointment by winning the second stage of Ruta del Sol and wearing the leader’s jersey for one stage, before he was dropped by Lopez on the final climb the following day.
López won stage three in Villarrodrigo after another tough climbing day, taking the day by just two seconds over Tolhoek, with Hayter finishing in 12th place- 2-23 down.
The stage four sprint was won by André Griepel (Israel Start-Up Nation), his second win of the season.
On stage five, Ineos Grenadiers set a strong pace to catch the breakaway 10km from the finish, with the squad causing a split in the peloton 6.5km from the finish, before Hayter closed out the race with a victory.
Ruta del Sol 2021 stage five, Vera to Pulpí (107km)
1. Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, in 2-27-12
2. Philipp Walsleben (Ger) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Toms Skujins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo, all at same time
General classification after stage five
1. Miguel Ángel López (Col) Movistar, in 21-06-55
2. Antwan Tolhoek (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 20s
3. Julen Amezqueta (Esp) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, at 1-10
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.