"I feel fresher than I ever have done at the end of a Giro" - After successful Giro, Jai Hindley may back up Evenepoel and Lipowitz at the Tour de France

Jai Hindley won the Giro d'Italia back in 2022, however with the peloton's development over the past few years, it was always going to be a big mission to repeat the same feat. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe did however finish on the podium of the Corsa Rosa, his first since that year, and may take his found-again level into the Tour de France where Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz will require the support.

Hindley's achievement cannot be underestimated. At a point in time where the level in the sport is higher than ever, it has proven difficulty for many riders who would perform in the late 2010's and early 2020's to remain near the top of the sport. The Australian remains a consistent and pure climber, abilities which he put to full use to reach his first podium since his very own Giro win.

In 2022 he got to the pink jersey on the final opportunity, flying up the steep Passo Fedaia; and in 2023 he reached the yellow jersey at the Tour de France through a stage win on stage 5 - eventually finishing 7th. 2024 was a missed year however, and in 2025 he crashed out of the Giro d'Italia, creating a spiral cycle of poor Grand Tour results.

At La Vuelta he returned to his best level, finishing fourth whilst actively trying to force his way onto the final podium - although he and Giulio Pellizzari's attacks were not enough to crack Tom Pidcock. The 30-year old had not flashy results this spring, however by the time he reached the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria, he had returned to his best form. On Blockhaus, a climb he won in back in 2022, he finished third and climbed to fourth in the overall classification.

Whilst an illness got in the way of his GC ambitions, he didn't appear to suffer from its effects on the road. The Australian performed on every mountain stage and finished third on three occasions (to Jonas Vingegaard and Felix Gall). By that exact order, the trio climbed to the podium together in Rome this Sunday. On stage 19, Hindley attacked Thymen Arensman and alongside Pellizzari, worked towards the final podium which he would maintain in Piancavallo.

Giulio Pellizzari had hinted that the Tour de France could well be on his schedule, and we now learn that Hindley has the same plan. Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe appeared keen on having Primoz Roglic lead the team's lineup at the Vuelta a España; whilst Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz will share leadership duties at the Tour de France. The two riders who prioritized the Giro can well be heading to the Tour in order to support the team's high GC hopes.

“Originally there was talk of me doing the Tour to support a couple big dogs there. I would really love to do the Tour with the team that we take there," Hindley shared with CyclingPro.net. "I think it would be really cool actually to be part of that squad. But we’ll see how it is after this.”

There is a long list of possibilities for the Tour's lineup. Gianni Vermeersch and Gianni Moscon should be road captains; Whilst Mattia Cattaneo and Daniel Martínez could provide extra firepower for the mountains. The team will fully focus on GC, where Hindley and Pellizzari could fit well - both having proven dealing with two Grand Tours in one year as well.

The Australian's feedback is very optimistic when it comes to potentially doing such schedule. “I didn’t do so many races before the Giro. Honestly, I’m pretty tired, but I feel fresher than I ever have done at the end of a Giro, surprisingly," he argues.

"Maybe that helped to be a bit fresher here. I think it also would be good to combine it with the Tour. If I have a week on the couch and then try and start training again, I think it can be nice to do the Tour.”