Leo Hayter closed his deal with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling over a handful of days last summer, committing to return to the global cycling stage with the newly formed US-based setup.
It's a metamorphosis for the 24-year-old in many respects, as he returns to a world stage representing athletic antipodes - a seasoned 'veteran' with seven years of racing, including two-and-a-half seasons at the WorldTour level, and yet a 'young guy' who wants to learn and establish a true identity.
Looking back, it's easy to see the stamp of a prodigy on Hayter, having won a pair of British U23 time trial national championships, a bronze medal in the U23 ITT at the World Championships, and victories at the same level in prestigious races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the 'baby' Giro d'Italia.
However, Hayter was forthcoming in an interview with Cyclingnews, saying he never felt comfortable at Ineos Grenadiers, calling the time "blurry". He left the team to address health issues, and last year he slowly re-emerged on his preferred career path, doing a few races with a Polish Continental team, and then taking the telephone call from George Hincapie for a fresh start.
"I still feel very inexperienced as a rider, and I feel like I missed out on a lot of opportunities and time to grow in those last few years that I had at Ineos. The years I had at Ineos were so blurry," Hayter told Cyclingnews.
"I thought those would be the years where I really figured out my niche, but I didn't. It never really happened."
Prior to moving to the WorldTour as a 20-year-old, Hayter said his biggest career achievement was winning the 'baby' Giro while with Hagens Berman Axeon, as he won it by being "durable on the longer days, I wouldn't consider myself a climber".
He then joined a who's-who roster of other British riders that included his brother Ethan, Tom Pidcock, Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates. He was just 20, and then left the bike behind days after turning 22, taking almost a year to focus on health concerns that included anxiety and depression.
"I would say everything is going as well as it can. OK, I'm still someone who took pretty much 10 months off a bike completely. So it has just been really, really slow progress this last six to eight months or so. Everything is going in the right direction, and everything is trending positively," he said.
"But I'm an athlete who is always going to compare himself to what he was at his best, which I don't have any doubt that I'll be able to get there, and actually, [the team] really supports that. I just want everything, and I want it now, but that's not how it goes.
"As an under-23, I could perform in a lot of different kinds of races, but I hadn't really figured out exactly where that would bring me. I still think that I'm in the same position now. I still see myself as a young guy, even if they see me as someone else. So the world is my oyster."
The new contract and home
And the top management of Modern Adventure, from co-founder George Hincapie to Performance Director Bobby Julich - both former WorldTour riders - agreed that Hayter still had raw talent to unleash and was a great catch for the new team, set to race with a UCI ProTeam licence in its inaugural season in 2026.
After completing a four-hour ride in the Appalachian mountain foothills on Thursday with his new teammates, Hayter said the initial call from Julich and George Hincapie came in late July. His agent also represents George's 17-year-old son, Enzo Hincapie (EF Education-ONTO), and a proposed spot on the new team turned into a contract within a week.
"When I first talked to George and Bobby in July, I think they really undersold the team to me, and they made it sound that the first few years were really going to be kind of like basic and cut back," Hayter recalled.
"Coming here [to the Greenville, South Carolina team camp] and everything being ready for us straight away, the start of December, it was really impressive, and to be honest, surprising.
"How the team was presented to me by George and Bobby [in July], it actually made me quite unsure about joining the team in the first place. They just didn't make it sound as good as it was. I spoke to George today, and he said that was the whole point, it was kind of always better to undersell."
All 21 riders on the new team gathered this week in the upstate of South Carolina for bike fittings, apparel distribution and assorted housekeeping details for health checks and in-person planning. He was the lone British rider, which was different, and laughed about being considered a veteran, being on the high side of the average age at 23.6 years.
"People have called me a veteran for the team. I don't know if I should be offended or not," Hayter said with a light laugh.
"I was honestly a bit surprised at just how open and welcoming everyone has been. Seemed quite easy to integrate as well, especially considering, as a Brit, I am a minority. I've been to teams in the past where, you know, all the Germans will sit on one side of the table, and all the Dutch will sit on another table. But no, it's nice. I feel happier."
The trip to South Carolina is Hayter's first to the US with a bike, having only visited New York City once before. He was pleased to have input for his race calendar as well, which will be addressed in detail once the UCI confirms the ProTeam licence next week. He said British Road Nationals were a target, but had not identified spring races yet.
"I am really happy to do a whole set of new races that I haven't done before. I'm excited just to race in new places and have some new experiences," he confirmed.
"As much as on paper I'm a pro who's done big races, I still feel like there's so much to learn and figure out. There's a lot of races I still think I can win or try to win."
