"I think it’ll be quite aggressive racing, so I think we’ll see some fun" - Jai Hindley ahead of Tour Down Under

Jai Hindley is ready to begin his season at the Tour Down Under.

In an interview with Cyclingweekly, Hindley disclosed his expectations for the first race of the season. “It's going to be a great month for Australian racing. We’ve had the nationals, then we’ve got Down Under, the Cadel race and a couple of races in between them. Normally we’d have had the Sun Tour, but that’s not on this year, unfortunately,” Hindley said.

He is confident that his abilities will provide him with an edge during the five-day race.“I’ve got some really big goals lined up this year, so we’ll see how next week plays out. I think the course looks good, they’ve changed it up a fair bit, and it's going to be a good race.”

He anticipates a challenging race and expects tough competition, especially with the presence of other top WorldTour riders at the starting line. “With the way cycling is going now, I think it’ll be quite aggressive racing. I’ve looked at all the stages, they’re quite short, so I think we’ll see some fun, aggressive racing, which will be really nice, actually,” Hindley said.

He feels particularly connected to the Tour Down Under, as it is one of the rare events that take place in Australia.“It’s probably one of the best weeks in the calendar for us Aussie guys, just being in that atmosphere and environment. There will be guys here ready to perform at a super high level, then others who are just looking to get some early season racing K’s in the legs. The level will be really high though, that's for sure,” concluded Hindley.