La Vuelta 2022: Ethan Hayter abandons race leaving Ineos Grenadiers a rider down for second half of race

Updated 30/08/2022 at 09:02 GMT

Ethan Hayter has been forced to make an early exit from his maiden Grand Tour after he tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Stage 10 at La Vuelta. Hayter was set to be one of the contenders to win Tuesday’s individual time trial but will not compete in the remainder of the race. Stream La Vuelta live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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Ethan Hayter has pulled out of La Vuelta due to a positive COVID-19 test ahead of Tuesday’s individual time trial.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider is the 10th rider to drop out of the race due to positive coronavirus tests with Bahrain Victorious' Wout Poels also withdrawing on Sunday.

Hayter was making his Grand Tour debut after making a breakthrough on the road by becoming a national time trial champion and winning stages at the Tour de Pologne and Tour de Romandie.

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He held the white jersey for the young riders’ classification at for the opening four stages of La Vuelta and was 79th in the general classification, playing a domestique role, before his withdrawal.

With a lack of time trial specialists, Hayter was expected to challenge for a podium place on Stage 10.

Hayter’s attention will now turn to the UCI Road World Championships in Australia, which take place from September 18 to 25.

Rodriguez becomes Ineos’ big hope

With Richard Carapaz 14’34” behind race leader Remco Evenepoel, Ineos’ best hope is Carlos Rodriguez who is fourth in the overall standings.

The 21-year-old is riding at his maiden Grand Tour and was not meant to lead the team this year.

However, the next best Ineos rider is Pavel Sivakov who is over three minutes behind the Spaniard.

Rodriguez’s first professional win came back in April in Stage 5 of the Itzulia Basque Country, where he beat the likes of Evenepoel and Enric Mas.

He then soloed to glory in the national championships in June and has impressed Ineos this year to earn a place at La Vuelta.

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Stream La Vuelta live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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