Leo Hayter was soaring recently for Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, making the trip to Malaysia after scoring his first podiums of the season in two races in France and Luxembourg. Today he was flying in a different manner, boarding a flight back home to Europe as he was not able to make the start at Tour de Langkawi due to pericarditis.
"He was obviously flying, and it's been really fun to see him get his legs back under him throughout the year. And he's just a good, positive guy to have around so we're already missing him a lot," team Sports Director Alex Howes told Cyclingnews before the start of stage 1 in Shah Alam.
"He got here, and we woke up the morning after travel, and he was just not feeling well. I took him to hospital for scans. We concluded it was best he didn't race. It's unfortunate because he was going really well."
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Hayter had been expected to play a support role in the leadouts at the eight-day stage race this week, with potential for chances in the break. He finished third in the time trial stage at Tour de Luxembourg, and demonstrated his abilities with aggressive riding on other road stages.
A shadow of uncertainty now prevails over where Hayter will race next season, but indications are that he will soon have an offer to return to Modern Adventure. Twenty of the 21 riders on the roster for the ProTeam's inaugural season in 2026 were signed to two-year contracts, with Hayter the only one with no paperwork for 2027.
A spokesperson for Modern Adventure told Cyclingnews that Hayter has received an offer from a WorldTour team, but had not signed, instead, he would 'most likely' return for a second season with the US squad, where he has had flexibility in his schedule and a relaxed environment for racing.
Leo Hayter, now 25, had followed the tyre tracks of his older brother Ethan and joined the WorldTour at the Ineos squad where they were on the roster together for two-and-a-half seasons. Leo then stepped away in August 2024, admitting he had long suffered from an eating disorder, depression and anxiety, and needed a break. Modern Adventure gave the young Briton space in his return to form, a former Giro Next Gen and Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 winner, considering him a "real diamond in the rough".
His brother Ethan, now with Soudal-QuickStep, competed for Great Britain in the elite men's time trial at the Montreal UCI Road World Championships and was proud to see the younger Hayter back enjoying the bike.
"It's really nice to see him back racing, and not just the time trial. He was in the break the day before [in Luxembourg]," he told Cyclingnews. "Hopefully, he'll just keep taking it step by step, and then enjoying it."
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