"It's far from over" - Jai Hindley confident as Giro d'Italia general classification battle set for final week showdown

Jai Hindley has vowed that the Giro d'Italia is by no means over as the general classification favourites face a demanding final week in the battle for the Maglia Rosa. The Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe rider sits fifth place overall but almost four minutes behind leader Jonas Vingegaard.

Hindley won the Giro in 2022 after a strong final week saw him seal the pink jersey in a battle with Richard Carapaz, and although Hindley may have his sights more on Felix Gall, Afonso Eulalio and Thymen Arensman in a podium battle, the Australian knows better than anyone how tough the final week of the Giro can be.

115 kilometers lie in store between Bellinzola and Cari, both of which in Switzerland. But despite the relatively short profile, riders are in for a brutal day that features over 3000 meters of climbing and five categorised climbs - including the one to the finish of 11.6 kilometers at 8% average gradient.

Many speculate that it could be a day for the breakaway due to the short stage duration and potential lack of appetite among the general classification contenders to risk their placings with more demanding stages later this week.

Stages 19 and 20 are the most fearsome arenas remaining after Tuesday's stage. In particular, Friday's queen stage features over 5000 meters of elevation gain and the Cima Copi - the race's highest point - Passo Giau in what is almost certain to be a general classification duel in the Dolomites.

"I'm feeling good, feeling better than I was last rest day," Hindley told Cycling Pro Net before the stage. That's a good sign. I'm ready for a big fight, a lot of hard stages coming up this week in the final part of the race. I think the race will be made in the next days."

Hindley thrives in the Giro's final week, and hopes that his recovery from illness last week can be confirmed by some strong performances in the high mountains. He got the better of Thymen Arensman on Saturday's stage 14 mountain-top finish and knows he needs to claw back another 40 seconds to jump ahead of the Netcompany Ineos man.

He added: "I like the third week, everyone's a bit tired and it's a bit less stressful in the bunch. I always seem to feel alright in the third week, so hopefully this Giro's not any different."

But either way, the final week is all about the grind for Hindley. Riding his eleventh grand tour, the experienced general classification contender is happy with his shape and thinks his team are in a good place - with Giulio Pellizzari sitting just behind him in sixth place in the overall standings.

Hindley opened up: "Just grind, mate. Just grind every day.It's going to be a big fight. The guys ahead are really strong, I think it will be an interesting race. It's far from over and we have some big days to come already starting today. It will be an interesting finale. I'm confident with the team we have and the numbers we have in the finals."