Leo Hayter has said that he "felt like he was racing rather than being part of a race" at the Tour of Norway, in a recent social media post about how he has re-found his love of the sport.
Younger brother of Ineos Grenadiers talent Ethan, Leo Hayter rides for the Team DSM development squad as he learns the ropes of racing in the professional peloton.
The 20-year-old, who recently joined the new cycling agency run by Anthony Joshua, has admitted he struggled in recent years to really enjoy racing, but in a social media post Hayter said he'd found the joy of racing his bike again during the Tour of Norway.
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In the post to his social media channels he said: "It finally clicked today in the Tour of Norway. I've had a really tough few years and I think it's clear I've struggled to adapt to racing at this level."
Hayter added that he needed to take a month off back in May, as he went from cycling being his life to "suddenly not wanting to have anything to do with it".
"I'd like to thank my team, and more specifically my coach Roy for pushing me through the darkest times when I felt helpless," he continued.
"It was a process that was far from smooth, but I finally feel happy to be riding and racing my bike"
pic.twitter.com/opj9TwjIyKAugust 21, 2021
Hayter was a key rider at the Tour of Norway for his team as he took long pulls on the front of the peloton, and also went on the attack on stage three with the likes of Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal).
This is where it finally clicked for Leo Hayter, he said, as he competed alongside his brother, 22-year-old Ethan, who won the first two stages and the overall.
Leo said that the penultimate stage of the race, in which he finished in the front group behind winner Pedersen, really reminded him why he had chosen this career, saying that it was "the first time since 2019 that he really felt like he was racing rather than being part of a race."
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