Lemko Evenpoel ran his own race in the Volta Ao Algarve stage 4 time trial, but Ethan Hayter rode nearly his best. He was 1:06 ahead of the impregnable Evenpoel, but only 8 seconds ahead of Stefan Küng, the European champion against the clock.

Hayter, who finished third in the second stage of the Alto da Foia, proved his remarkable dexterity; the 23-year-old is among a wave of riders who avoid the specialization of previous generations, but who move seamlessly between track and road, sprint and climb, and defy any categorization, he defies categorization.

Hayter seems to be able to perform on any terrain and in any conditions, and his preparation for the 2022 season was stalled when he was forced to take a week off in January for COVID-19. His performance in Saturday's 32.2km time trial keeps him in second place overall, his final position in this race last year.

"It was a pretty tough day. After missing some base training and then two stage races in a row, I thought I was getting better over the last few days, but my legs were heavy today and I struggled to get any power out of them."

"I had no power in my legs and yet I couldn't catch my breath on some stages. At the end the sun was in my eyes and I didn't want to take any risks.

Hayter's eight wins last season included a title in Great Britain, just weeks after a high-profile eighth-place finish in the time trial at the World Championships; for the 2022 season, only teammate Filippo Ganna, in the prologue to the Etoile de Besseges, has He opened the season with a spirited run that surpassed his record.

"Long time trials suit me," Hayter said. "At the British Championships, I powered for over 20 minutes. I enjoy long time trials with a kick, but I didn't have the legs today.

Last May, Hayter led the Volta ao Algarve until the final stage, which was delayed by a pandemic, but he gave up the yellow jersey to home favorite Joao Rodriguez in the Alto de Marjan. This time, he will aim to at least keep his podium spot, but his Ineos team will also want to throw some questions to Evenpoel, given that Daniel Martinez is in fourth place overall, 1:30 back. In Saturday's time trial, however, there was no question of Evenpoel's dominance.

"There was a long section where I felt like I went pretty slow, and I'm not really surprised that I was a minute behind. It was as expected," Hayter said, adding rather modestly: "Fair play to Lemko.