‘A beautiful feeling’: Hindley becomes the first Australian to win the Giro

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‘A beautiful feeling’: Hindley becomes the first Australian to win the Giro

By Sophie Smith
Updated

Jai Hindley has etched his name into cycling history, becoming the first Australian to win the Giro d’Italia.

The Giro is Italy’s version of the Tour de France and the 26-year-old safely finished the 21st and final stage of the three-week race – a 17.4 kilometre time trial in Verona – on Sunday to seal the historic victory, which puts him in the same league as Cadel Evans.

Jai Hindley with the famed Giro trophy on Sunday.

Jai Hindley with the famed Giro trophy on Sunday.Credit:AP

Evans, who won the Tour de France in 2011, is the only other Australian to have claimed one of cycling’s highly revered, three-week grand tours – the Giro, Tour and Vuelta a Espana.

Speaking after the stage, Hindley started to tear up when it was confirmed he was the first Australian to win the Giro since its inception in 1909.

The victory was the culmination of 3445 kilometres of racing that started in Budapest, Hungary this month.

“It’s really incredible, man. I’m really proud to be Australian and happy to take this one home,” Hindley said.

The climber from Perth entered the 21st stage with a healthy advantage over his primary rival, Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), who lost the pink leader’s jersey, or maglia rosa, on Saturday’s penultimate stage in the Dolomites.

There, Hindley and his Bora-hansgrohe team turned a three-second deficit to the then race leader into a one minute and 25-second advantage with a commanding performance on the upper slopes of the summit finish at Marmolada.

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The title triumph is a redemption of sorts for Hindley, who in 2020 entered the final stage of the Giro – which finished with a time trial in Milan – in the leader’s jersey on countback, only to lose it to Carapaz’ teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart.

Hindley has vanquished those demons and overcome a frustrating 2021 campaign marred by illness and injury to become the new face of grand tour racing in Australia, following Evans and Richie Porte.

Jai Hindley at the start of the final stage in Verona.

Jai Hindley at the start of the final stage in Verona.Credit:AP

“It’s a beautiful feeling, a lot of emotions out there today,” he said.

“I had in the back of my mind what happened in 2020, and I wasn’t going to let that happen again. To take the win is really incredible.”

Carapaz, who won the Giro in 2019, finished third at the Tour last year and claimed gold in the men’s road race at the Tokyo Olympics, on Sunday marginally shortened his deficit to Hindley on the general classification to 1:18. Spain’s Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) rounded out the podium, winding up 3:24 behind the leader.

“I was getting updates and I also felt pretty good on the bike,” Hindley said of the stage. “I knew it was a decent ride. In the end, I wanted to take the descent cautiously, and then I gave everything to the line.”

Jai Hindley, right, and Richard Carapaz, left, congratulate each other on the podium.

Jai Hindley, right, and Richard Carapaz, left, congratulate each other on the podium.Credit:LaPresse

Hindley placed 15th in the time trial, coming in 1:15 behind stage winner Matteo Sobrero, who rides for Melbourne businessman Gerry Ryan’s BikeExchange-Jayco team.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Sobrero said. “I still have to recognise everything, but I’m really, really happy. We did really hard work in the winter and that’s the result. All the work [paid off].”

Hindley crossed the finish line of Saturday’s decisive stage with his hollowed chest heaving for air as a team carer helped him off his bike and held him upright until he could collect himself, having put everything in the line to destroy his rivals and assume the race lead.

However, on Sunday, Hindley broadly smiled as he powered home to claim one of cycling’s biggest prizes, punching the air as headed straight towards team staff who were waiting past the finish line.

Speaking in a rest day press conference early last week, Hindley was asked about his heroes and listed off the likes of Evans, Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke, Stuart O’Grady and Brad McGee as well as his contemporary, former teammate and friend Robert Power.

“In terms of heroes, for sure these older Australian guys were a big inspiration, but probably later on, when I was a teenager, actually, I had a really close friend and teammate, Rob Power,” Hindley explained.

“He was a professional [cyclist] up until last year, a year older than me and an older brother type, someone I really looked up to.

“We both came from a really similar background, and he started making pretty big waves on the under-23 scene and turned pro. For me to see this, and a guy who was very similar to me, and same background, making it big in the sport, actually, this was a pretty huge inspiration. So, Rob Power, he was the man, still a close friend and someone I look up to.”

Agostino Giramondo, AusCycling’s general manager of commercial, member and club development, on Sunday anticipated that Hindley himself would now be a source of inspiration to cyclists across the country.

“This is a significant and important moment in Australian cycling, and it will inspire not only those currently racing bikes, but those who don’t even know they love cycling yet,” Giramondo told The Age and the Herald.

“The impact of Jai’s win will be huge for Australian cycling. You can already see the impact it’s having on his club back in WA, the Midland Cycling Club. Today they published a beautiful video of some their juniors wishing him the best.

“The win will inspire kids all over the country, but it’s not just the juniors. The riders coming through the ranks in under-19s will be inspired because Jai has been a member of national development teams, world junior championships and Oceania [championships].

“Over the last two years, it’s been impossible to send teams to world-class events and there has been a feeling that many young riders will have missed their chance.”

Hindley’s Giro triumph came 20 years to the day after Evans donned the pink jersey for the first time, and as Porte competed in what was the last grand tour of his career before he retires at the end of this season.

Porte was a key man for Carapaz at the Giro, but was forced to withdraw on Friday due to illness.

The Tasmanian, who finished third at the 2020 Tour, Australia’s second-best podium result there behind Evans, was happy for his compatriot as he kept tabs on the Giro from his Monaco home.

“I’m thrilled for Jai. He really deserves this,” Porte said.

Hindley’s performance at the Giro was close to flawless. He put the other title contenders on notice when he beat them to win stage nine to Blockhaus, and his team raced aggressively and intelligently to whittle down rivals further. Hindley and Carapaz went pedal stroke for pedal stroke in the third week and appeared evenly matched, but the signs were there. Hindley on stage 16 outsprinted Carapaz for bonus seconds on the finish line, and more often than not come across the line one place ahead of the decorated Ecuadorian.

It all contributed to Saturday’s domination and Sunday’s confirmation.

Some pundits had questioned who Australia’s next grand tour winner, or contender, was going to be in the absence of Porte, who burst onto the scene at the 2010 Giro, and later took that mantle from Evans.

Hindley has provided an emphatic answer to that question, six days after The Age and the Herald asked whether it was his aim, as one of three team leaders who started the Giro, to claim the race title. His answer went viral. “[I’m] not here to put socks on centipedes,” he said.

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