Who is Jai Hindley? Tour de France leader aiming to emulate Australia’s 2011 winner Cadel Evans
Australian cyclist Jai Hindley has thrust himself into Tour de France contention after claiming stage five and the yellow jersey of the 2023 event.
The 27-year-old – on his Le Tour debut – has become Australia’s best chance to win the coveted race since Cadel Evans claimed the nation’s only title in the event in 2011.
The Sporting News looks at the progression and rise of Hindley to becoming a contender in the world’s premier cycling tour.
Who is Jai Hindley?
Hindley – alongside Cadel Evans’ 2011 Tour de France victory is the only Australian to win a cycling Grand Tour event, when he claimed the Giro d’Italia in 2022.
The Western Australian native was third favourite to win Tour de France 2023 before it started, behind recent champions Jonas Vingegaard (2022) and Tadej Pogacar (2020, 2021).
After turning professional in 2016, Hindley has been building to ride in the Tour de France over the last seven years, with a view to being a contender when he was ready.
While achieving two professional tour wins at Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo and Tour of Fuzhou in 2017, it took Hindley until 2020 to start to realise his potential with a victory in Australia’s Herald Sun Tour and a shock second-placing at the 2020 Giro d’Italia.
Despite a lean COVID-affected 2021, Hindley’s development continued and he managed to win the Giro d’Italia the following year, becoming the second Aussie to win a Grand Tour after Cadel Evans’ 2011 Tour de France triumph.
With a Grand Tour taking a toll on the body, Hindley decided not to make his debut at Tour de France in 2022 but focus on getting prepared for 2023.
This year, Hindley – racing with team Bora-Hansgrohe – earned this third favouritsm at Tour de France 2023 but finishing fourth at the Criterium du Dauphine – behind winner Vingegaard and eighth in the Volta a Catalunya.
MORE: How to watch Tour de France 2023 in Australia: Date, time, TV channel, live stream for cycling race
Jai Hindley’s performance at Tour de France 2023
This year’s Tour was expected to be a two-horse race between Vingegaard and Pogacar, but now Bora Hansgrohe team leader Hindley has elevated himself into a serious contender with his performances through the early part of the event.
Heading into stage five, Hindley was seventh, 22 seconds behind then yellow jersey holder Adam Yates but more importantly only five seconds adrift of Vingegaard and 16 from Pogacar.
But on the first serious mountain stage from Pau-Laruns, Hindley somehow found himself in the 36-man breakaway, with no immediate response from Vingegaard and Pogacar.
Hindley conserved energy despite being in the break and then made his move to be first over the Marie-Blanque, before holding off Vingegaard’s charge, winning the stage and claiming the yellow jersey with a 47-second lead over the Danish champion.
Intriguingly, Pogacar struggled throughout the first serious mountain stage and is now one minute, 40 seconds behind Hindley.
Hindley becomes the first Australian to lead the Tour de France since Rohan Dennis in 2015 and the eighth in history.
🇦🇺 The moment Jai Hindley stood atop the Tour de France podium for the first time! 🇦🇺
An Aussie in yellow. Let that sink in.#TDF2023 #sbstdf #couchpeloton pic.twitter.com/fUvllg2CB8
— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) July 5, 2023
Can Jai Hindley win the Tour de France?
The Australian can win this year’s Tour de France but interestingly he is still third favourite with the bookies, behind champions Vingegaard and Pogacar.
As it’s his debut in the event, and with the quality of cyclist chasing him, it’s going to be true test of Hindley’s ability throughout the remaining 16 stages of Le Tour.
Hindley will now have a target on his back – literally with the yellow jersey – and he is going to have to withstand multiple attacks across the next few weeks from both Vingegaard and Pogacar.
It will be tough, as the event is a war of attrition, endurance and mental strength in its own right, but the Australian has given himself a chance to be the second from his nation to win the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysees on July 23.
Published at Wed, 05 Jul 2023 23:02:46 +0000
