News: Hayter & Donovan stagiaires at Sky

Team Sky have announced that pink jersey in the Baby Giro Mark Donovan and Ethan Hayter (a World Track Champion) will join the team as stagiaires for the remainder of the 2018 season

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News: Hayter & Donovan stagiaires at Sky

Team Sky have announced that pink jersey in the Baby Giro Mark Donovan and Ethan Hayter will join the team as stagiaires for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Donovan, 19, has made waves on the road this year in the under-23 ranks, placing fourth overall at the Baby Giro, as well as claiming a stage victory at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta Mont Blanc. The Team Wiggins rider said: “I didn’t really have any expectations going into this year. I was trying to keep as relaxed as possible and do as well as I could. I never really thought I’d get the chances and results that I did. After the results I got, I think this is the perfect way to end the year and a really nice opportunity”.

“I spent a few days with the team at their December camp last year. Obviously the team are the best out there at the moment and one of the top teams for a young rider to be looking to go to. I think it fits me really well and it’s a great development team for GC riders and climbers, especially with people like Egan Bernal, Tao Geoghegan Hart and those guys. As a rider I’d say I’m a bit of an all-rounder. I can go well on the climbs but also handle myself on the flat and time trial, but I see myself mainly as a climber/GC rider.”

Hayter, 19, has enjoyed a breakthrough 2018 that has seen him crowned World champion on the track as part of the British team pursuit squad in Apeldoorn. In addition to silver and bronze medals gained at the Commonwealth Games on the track, the GB Academy rider also finished fifth overall on the road at the Ronde de l’Oise. Currently set to compete at the European Championships on the track, Hayter said: “I’m really looking forward to riding with the team, gaining in experience and learning as much as I can along the way. I really didn’t expect to have this opportunity at the start of the year.
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“As a young British rider coming up through the system Sky has always been the team everyone watches and aspires to be a part of. I see myself as a bit of an all-rounder on the road. I can climb and sprint pretty well, and I can time trial fairly well too.”

Team Sky Performance Manager Rod Ellingworth has been keeping a close eye on the development of both riders and explained the team’s approach to working with the duo, in addition to their qualities. He said: “The idea is to look at the new wave of potential riders coming into the team, trying to think long-term and getting these young guys involved as early as we can. We had Mark along at our winter camp and this is the next progression from that. His results have shown that he deserves an opportunity. He’s made some really big gains on the road and you can see he’s pushing himself hard and learning well. We’re really happy to have him join us and get a racing opportunity on the back of a camp environment.

“Ethan is young and he’s been holding his own well on the road. Looking at his track background and what he’s done there, and what he’s capable of doing is pretty phenomenal. He’s got serious Olympic ambitions and we’d like to see if we can be part of that with him and support him through that. He’s one of the best young talents we’ve got in the UK.”

“The priority is for the guys to see how we race on the road, as well as getting used to the performance plans, Sport Director presentations and communication, radios etc. It’s all these bits that you can add on to help the riders with their development.

“Ethan and Mark will join up with us later in the year and we’re looking at a programme of Italian one-day races. It’s better for development sometimes in those longer races as they will get a mixture of different race environments. They can race hard and then sit down, learn from it and work out how to approach the next one.”

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