What speaks to how high Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) was in the early part of his career is that, despite five wins (two of them at the World Tour level), he defines the first part of his 2022 season as "not as good as I expected!" .

Many riders would give their right arm for what this 23-year-old has accomplished in the first six months of 2022. Two stage wins at the Tour de Romandie, a British time trial title, and two victories in Norway and Coppi e Bartali.

However, as Hayter pointed out to Cycling News, there were some downsides. Not being selected for the Ineos Grenadiers of the Tour de France surprised Hayter, given his successes in Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphiné. This has increased his motivation to compete in the Vuelta a España.

Before the Vuelta a España kicks off in two weeks in the Netherlands, Hayter is hoping for success at the Tour de Pollonia. This is where Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) won the big money overall last year, and Przemysl could once again have a big impact on the GC in Pollogne. [At the start of the second stage of the Tour de Pollogne, Hayter told Cyclingnews, "I'm not sure if I'm going to win the Tour de Pollogne. But I had a good training camp with the team. It's certainly a good finish for me."

"Hopefully in the overall. The time trial was changed on Thursday, and the flat section at the start was supposed to be 16 kilometers, but it turned out to be 11 kilometers. But depending on how the other stages unfold, we have a chance to come out on top. I'll try to stay at the top and see what happens."

For him, uphill finishes like Monday's are Hayter's forte. Impressive wins of this type include the "Wall" stage at the 2020 Vuelta a Andalucía in Alcalá la Real in his first year as a pro, and the 2022 Coppi e Bartali in Longano.

Beyond Pollogne, Ineos Grenadier's definitive list of starters for the Vuelta a España will likely be taken after the Vuelta a Burgos and Pollogne, according to Hayter.

"There are so many riders on the team that I don't know exactly who will go," he said. It's very exciting after missing out on the Tour."

Hayter is disappointed with the early season.

"I had a really good season last year, with 15 wins. I was really good in Romandie and Dauphiné. But before that I struggled and didn't get selected for the classics.

"But that was my form too, I went straight into the race after COVID and my race preparation didn't go well. But since then I've been getting better and better, and I think that's good"

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It was hard to guess his performance from a very flat first day in Pologna, his first since the All-Japan Championships in June, but he knows the challenge is just around the corner, from Monday to Thursday's tough TT in the Tatras mountains.

"It's super easy to stay in the pack when you're riding into a headwind all day. But you'll find out soon enough."