Jai Hindley rode the final time-trial of the 2020 Giro d'Italia in pink but lost that lead to Tao Geoghegan Hart. Heading into the final week two years later he's in a not too different position, however he will have to make the difference in the coming mountains to make sure he reaches glory.
At the end of stage 15 he's talked to reporters, in a day where Richard Carapaz crashed but was subsequently not tested in the mountains that were ridden ahead. Perhaps a missed chance for the Australian, but Hindley found it a somewhat expected scenario: “I think there were a lot of tired bodies out there. I was getting the vibe that everyone just wanted to come home and get the day done and head into the rest day... Grand Tour racing is all about the long game," he told reporters.
“I think if the final climb was much harder, then it would have been a different scenario but with a flatter gradient like that, it’s really hard to do something in the final. I think everyone was like, let’s call it a day," he said. Hindley nevertheless is only seven seconds away from the Ecuadorian, so the pressure isn't on for him to make careless attacks.
Hindley will have four high-mountain stages in the final week to take advantage of his climbing prowess, however he's faced with a set of pure climbers who will be equally eager to do the same in the upcoming stages. Just off of a rest day, tomorrow's stage to Aprica can be a matter of life or death for many GC contenders, and important differences can be made already towards the battle for the race win.
⏪ Looking back at the past week at the #Giro, we lit up the race 🔥 with a display of remarkable teamwork and commitment to a common goal 👊 We're now sitting in second and seventh in GC with @JaiHindley and @EmuBuchmann as the final week looms 🏔️ 📸: @sprintcycling
