The 26-year-old from the German team Bora-Hansgrohe won’t let the overall victory be taken away from him in the final time trial in Verona. With a fluid kick, Hindley banished the dark thoughts of 2020 as he suffered a bitter disappointment in Italy.
Jai Hindley in Verona: He can no longer be ousted from the leader’s throne in the final time trial at the Giro.
Jai Hindley, the new Giro d’Italia winner, looks like a well-behaved boarder. He behaves correctly in the peloton. Conflicts with opponents that go beyond the sporting rivalry are not known. Despite his comparatively young age of 26, he has been doing cycling for two decades. He was born this sport; the father Gordon Hindley comes from the English Manchester.
The senior emigrated to Australia before the Manchester Velodrome, which became the forge for so much British talent, even opened. But he took his love of cycling with him to the fifth continent. He was even his son’s youth coach for a while, founding Team GDT. The acronym stands for Gordon’s Development Team. One photo shows father and son Hindley and other members of the development team in racing gear at the Tour de France summit Col d’Aspin in the Pyrenees.
He doesn’t present himself as a star
As a professional, Hindley has never ridden the Tour. He received his European training at junior racing teams in Italy. That also explains his fondness for the Giro. He recently took part in this tour for the fourth time. In 2020 he was close to overall victory. Like this year, he conquered the Maglia rosa on the penultimate day – unlike now, he couldn’t withstand the pressure, in the time trial he had to be overtaken by the Ineos youngster Tao Geoghegan Hart.
After the overall victory on Sunday, Hindley remembered that painful defeat. He admitted: ‘It took me longer to get over it. Even now I had to think about it again and again.” But with a fluid kick he drove away the dark thoughts. Sobriety and pragmatism seem to be his strengths – he rode this Giro accordingly. He stayed hidden when the course didn’t offer much space for attack. And he was there when the opportunity presented itself. “We drove smart as a team, didn’t waste a lot of energy and took our chances,” Hindley summarized.
“Jai Hindley has blazed a trail for a nation!” ???
the @BORAhansgrohe rider becomes the first Australian rider to win the Giro d’Italia ???#Giro | @JaiHindley pic.twitter.com/UBDFbodcCp
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 29, 2022
He went into the tour as part of a trio. In contrast to his fellow captain Wilco Kelderman, he did not lose any time due to a defect. He didn’t lose his strength either, as had happened to the former Tour fourth Emanuel Buchmann in the final of some mountain stages. Hindley didn’t present himself as a star. He spoke respectfully about his colleagues, even when they fell from the front ranks.
And Hindley used her powers to conserve energy. He may have acquired this sense of collective dynamics through rugby. He had put his cycling career on hold for a year – to his father’s chagrin – and turned to the physical game with the egg-shaped leather. In view of his slender figure, the return to cycling was probably a wise decision.
The tasks become more difficult for his team
In the Bavarian racing team Bora-Hansgrohe Hindley has an environment in which he can continue to grow and in which he does not have to shoulder the responsibility alone in view of the large number of good round drivers. The shared captain role paid off at this Giro.
Now it will be seen whether Hindley and his colleagues, such as the Russian Alexander Vlassow, the Colombian Sergio Higuita or the Germans Emanuel Buchmann and Lennard Kämna, can also defy stronger competition than the Ineos makeshift captain Richard Carapaz.
105th Giro d’Italia. 21st stage, individual time trial in Verona (17.4 km): 1. Matteo Sobrero (ITA 22:24 minutes, 46.607 km/h). 2. Thymen Arensman (NED) 0:23 behind. 3. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 0:40. 4. Bauke Mollema (NED) 1:09. 5. Ben Tulett (GBR) 1:12. 6. Mauro Schmid (SUI) 1:17. 7. Magnus Cort Nielsen (DEN) 1:18. 8. Tobias Foss (NOR) 1:19. 9.Michael Hepburn (AUS) 1:24. 10. Richard Carapaz (ECU), same time. Also: 15th Jai Hindley (AUS) 1:31. 49. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) 2:36. 76. Mikel Landa (ESP) 3:04. 112. Reto Hollenstein (SUI) 3:46. – 149 drivers started and classified.
final standings: 1. Hindley 86:31:14. 2. Carapaz 1:18. 3. Landah 3:24. 4. Nibali 9:02. 5.Pello Bilbao (ESP) 9:14. 6. Jan Hirt (CZE) 9:28. 7. Emanuel Buchmann (GER) 13:19. 8. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) 17:29. 9. Hugh Carthy (GBR) 17:54. 10. Juan Pedro Lopez (ESP) 18:40. Also: 70. Sobrero 3:44:44. 75. Smith 3:52:22. 129. Hollenstein 5:51:25.