Source : ABC NEWS
Jai Hindley has roared again in the “pinnacle of cycling”, making history as just the second Australian to enjoy three overall podium finishes in Grand Tours as he rode home for a valiant third place in the Giro d’Italia.
As Jonas Vingegaard completed his set of the three Grand Tour triumphs to confirm his place among the sport’s all-time elite in Rome, Hindley underlined why he was one of Australia’s greatest.
The 30-year-old had been ill during the race, needing to take antibiotics in the second of the three weeks, but recovered spectacularly to complete his own set of Giro podium finishes, having famously won in 2022, been runner-up in 2021 and now third.
Only 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans has had more Grand Tour podium finishes among Australians, with five.
“The second week was very hard for me; I was really quite sick. I even had to take antibiotics, but I seem to be back in time,” Hindley said after a remarkable third-week resurgence saw him move into third place overall on the 19th of the 21 stages.
Jonas Vingegaard (centre) got to celebrate his latest Grand Tour win with his family. (Getty Images: Image Photo Agency)
The largely processional ride into the capital ended with Italian Jonathan Milan winning the final-stage sprint and Vingegaard clinching his fourth Grand Tour, having twice won the Tour de France and last year’s Vuelta, where Hindley signalled he was recovering his best form with a fourth-placed finish.
Hindley did suffer a mechanical issue midway through the last stage but swiftly got back to the peloton, ending 6 minutes and 25 seconds behind Vingegaard, and 1:03 behind Austrian runner-up Felix Gall.
“I haven’t had a good result in a Grand Tour for a long time, and to be fighting for the podium again was really nice,” Hindley said.
“For me, the Grand Tours are the pinnacle of cycling, and being competitive in them is what I train for.”
For Vingegaard, who became the eighth man to win all three Grand Tours, it was the realisation of “something I dreamed of my whole life”.
He celebrated his Vuelta win last year in a car park after the final stage was cut short by anti-Israel protests, but in Rome was met by his family at the finish.
“It gives me tears in my eyes. They are always there for me,” he said, voice breaking.
It was only the second Giro in a decade without a stage win by an Australian, following the early abandonments of the luckless Kaden Groves and Jay Vine with crashes, but, impressively, there were four Aussie finishers in the top 17.
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) finished a career-best seventh at 10:13 down, Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) was 16th at 24:12 and Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro) was 17th at 30:43.
AAP
