Striking confession by winner Hayter after Tour of Holland prologue; surprising runner-up was texting with famous uncle

“It's great to end the season like this. It was very close,” said Hayter, who had a three-hundredth-of-a-second lead over Rogers. “Last week I was just one second away from the podium at the European Time Trial Championships, but now I'm on the right side of the coin. I'm very happy about that.”

“I'm back to my best, especially in time trials,” said the Brit from Soudal Quick-Step, whose brother Leo will make his comeback in the Chrono des Nations this Sunday. “I've had some trouble with that, but I have to thank the team for believing in me and providing me with good equipment.”

Hayter enjoyed the format of the prologue of the Tour of Holland, which was held under artificial lighting. “It reminds me of a track race, with a late warm-up and so on. It dried up a bit towards the end, but I didn't really take any risks in the corners. I could have gone a bit faster.”

“I had no idea what I wanted to do. I rode without a plan, but just started, rode as hard as I could, and did that after every corner,” he concluded. “The other time trial suits me even better. No pressure, but we'll see how it goes. It's always an honor to wear a leader's jersey, and it's my first victory in the Netherlands, although my British champion's jersey looks very similar.”

Rogers also spoke briefly after the race. “It's a bit disappointing. Sitting in the hot seat for so long and then being beaten by one of the last riders, even if he is a big name. However, I can be satisfied with my time, even though the disappointment still prevails.”

“I know I'm good at short distances, and hopefully I can continue this trend. It was a fun experience in any case,” said the Aussie, who was busy on his phone in the hot seat. Uncle Michael is a three-time world time trial champion and also works at Lidl-Trek as an assistant manager. “I was texting my uncle and letting my family know that I was in the hot seat. Hopefully, they can forgive me for not winning,” he said with a wink.