Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) was understandably cautious, despite his delight at taking third place in the all-important 11km time trial and taking the lead in the Tour de Pollogne. As a result, Hayter took the overall lead with an 11-second advantage over stage winner Timen Arensmann (Team DSM).

Hayter was 8 seconds ahead of Arensmann in the stage 6 time trial, with Magnus Sheffield in second, Hayter in third, and Ben Tullett in sixth, giving the Ineos Grenadiers a top 10 finish.

The final stage of the Tour de Pollogne, 177.8 km to Krakow, has a first class climb early on, but is mostly flat after that. And at 23 years old, his career is growing by leaps and bounds.

But quite apart from the usual challenges faced by GC leaders, the Tour de Pollogne had witnessed late crashes in four of the previous five stages, and Hayter was convinced that the old cliché that "the race is not over until the final goal" was completely It is understandable that Hayter was adamant that the old cliché "the race doesn't end until the final goal" was perfectly applicable to Pollogne.

"Unlike the Tour de France or Paris, there are still 180 km to go and anything can happen. It's not over until we cross the line."

Speaking to Cycling News, Hayter was not optimistic about his chances of winning the time trial, which has been shortened from its original 16km to 11km, with few flat sections in Hayter's favor. As the British national time trial champion told reporters after the race, it was tough to handle a course that was almost entirely uphill.

"It was very hard. The first section was uphill all the way and I had to push hard. The steep section at the end was really hard."

"But I sprinted at the top and then sprinted again to the finish.

Leading the Tour de Pollogne is another major success for the young racer, but Hayter's time trial has already established itself as a major strength. He won the British Nationals TT twice, won the prologue of the Romandie opener, and finished third in the Dauphiné TT.

"I could have made the first part a little bit easier and maybe given a little more power at the end.

"It would have been nice if it had been a bit flatter (road) at the start, third place is close to the win, but it's also good to take the jersey and I hope I can make it to the end.

Looking ahead, Hayter said he expects some teams to set up long-distance moves on the early climbs. That's our main goal."

"I think it will be good to try to sprint with Elia (Viviani, Team Fastman in Pologna - Editor). This week hasn't gone well yet, but first I'll try to keep the yellow jersey."