“I was quite sick and had to take antibiotics” - Jai Hindley overcomes “rough second week” to reach final Giro mountain stage on podium

Jai Hindley has revealed he was sick enough during the second week of the 2026 Giro d’Italia to require antibiotics, adding fresh context to his late surge back onto the provisional podium.

The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe leader moved into third overall on stage 19 to Alleghe, gaining ground as Thymen Arensman slipped out of the top three on the Giro’s queen stage. Hindley now reaches the final mountain test on Piancavallo with one of the podium places in his hands, but still with one more demanding day to survive before Rome.

His position is all the more striking given the illness problems that disrupted his race earlier in the Giro.

“I had a pretty rough second week,” Hindley told Cycling Pro Net before stage 20. “I was quite sick and had to take antibiotics, actually. So it was not the best, but I feel like I am coming good at the right time.”

Hindley’s move onto the podium came after a bruising day in the Dolomites, where Sepp Kuss won from the breakaway and Jonas Vingegaard retained firm control of the maglia rosa.

For Hindley, the stage also marked a major shift in his own race. Red Bull began the Giro with a two-pronged GC plan involving Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari, but Pellizzari’s illness-hit collapse has left the Australian as the team’s clear podium hope in the final weekend.

Stage 20 now offers the last realistic chance for major movement in the general classification. The riders face Piancavallo twice, with fatigue from the queen stage still hanging over the bunch.

“It was a super tough day and I was happy to move up a spot on GC,” Hindley said. “But today is another very demanding stage and probably the last day to really do something on GC.” I can imagine everyone will be riding defensively or offensively, depending on their position. It should be another good day of racing, but I think there will be plenty of tired guys out there.”

Piancavallo is not just another climb for Hindley. He remembers it from the 2020 Giro, when the race was held in October and the mountain helped shape the final GC battle.

This time, the climb comes with Hindley defending a podium place rather than chasing from outside it. The double ascent gives rivals a platform to attack, while also offering Red Bull the chance to tighten their grip on third if Hindley’s recovery continues.

“I remember the climb from 2020, the Giro that year in October,” he said. “It is a really tough climb, really long, and we will do it twice today, so that is really demanding. I think everyone is really tired from yesterday. I do not think anyone had an easy day yesterday. We will leave it all out there today, that is for sure.”

Hindley expects the first ascent to be hard, but the final climb to decide the stage and perhaps the podium places behind Vingegaard. “I can imagine the first time we will also ride it pretty hard,” he said. “But the second time I think it will be pretty full.”

After illness, antibiotics and a difficult second week, Hindley has reached the Giro’s final mountain day in the position Red Bull needed. One more brutal stage now stands between him and a Grand Tour podium in Rome.