Ethan Hayter's debut at the Giro d'Italia was marred by stomach problems on stage 1, which led to a disappointing finish of 179th, well behind the winner. His health issues affected his ability to eat and drink, raising doubts about his participation in the upcoming time trial. Compounding his struggles, he learned of fellow competitor Mikel Landa's crash and abandonment of the race. Hayter's honesty about his performance struggles hints at a challenging period for the athlete as he transitions to Soudal-Quickstep after a promising career start plagued by injuries and a focus on track cycling.
"I wasn't feeling too good to be honest, I was getting so bloated I was struggling to breathe properly," said Hayter to Cyclingnews at the finish.
"I'll see how I go. You know, with your stomach not being right, you struggle to eat and drink properly, so we'll see."
"So yeah... Not the best start." said Hayter, who could then only be frank about the dire opening day Soudal-Quickstep had endured.
"I just heard Mikel is out, and that's a big shame to be honest, for the next few weeks," said Hayter.
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