By Michael Church
(Reuters) – Eleven years after Cadel Evans claimed his first and only Grand Tour victory, Jai Hindley became Australia’s second winner of one of cycling’s three major three-week races with a cathartic victory at the Giro d’Italia.
Having been pipped to the title in 2020 by Tao Geoghegan Hart in the final time trial, Sunday’s win represented a welcome comeback for the 26-year-old after a year lost to illness and injury.
Prior to pulling on the Giro’s pink jersey, Hindley had been one of only three Australians other than Evans to stand on a Grand Tour podium since the elder-statesman’s groundbreaking Tour de France success in 2011.
“When you’re from Australia, and you’re a professional cyclist, I think you have to be pretty tough mentally,” Hindley said on Sunday.
“I think a lot of people take for granted how hard it actually is. It’s not like I can just jump on a … flight on a weekend and we go back home for 50 euro or something. It’s not possible. When you throw COVID into the mix it’s really hard.
“Last year, I really got beat around a lot on the bike and off the bike and it was a tough year. I think I came out better for it. I’ll go home and savour every minute of it.”
Hindley’s runners-up finish at the Giro two years ago came in a race that saw a string of favourites fall by the wayside before the Australian went head-to-head with Geoghegan Hart in the final stages.
After a miserable 2021 he switched from Team DSM to Bora-Hansgrohe and was installed as team leader going into the Giro.
Tight battles throughout the first two-and-a-half weeks left him three seconds behind 2019 winner Richard Carapaz going into Saturday’s penultimate stage but a telling acceleration on the final Marmolada climb left the Ecuadorian in his wake.
“After 2020 to come so close to the win, and then to lose it on the last day was brutal, if I’m honest,” said Hindley.
“I thought about that day for a long time in training and it’s really been a big motivation.”
(Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong, Editing by Peter Rutherford)
