Mike O'Connor
Jai Hindley has moved back onto the podium at the Giro d’Italia, the Australian climbing to third overall after a decisive day in the Dolomites with one competitive stage remaining.
Stage 19 was a brutal Dolomites mountain day from Feltre to the summit finish at Piani di Pezzè, featuring a stacked route of long, sustained climbs including the Passo Duran, Staulanza and the Cima Coppi over Passo Giau.
With around 5,000 metres of elevation gain over 151km, the Queen stage of the Giro quickly turned into a test of endurance and recovery after three weeks of racing.
However, the Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe rider was able to produce another measured ride and stay with the key general classification contenders.
Crucially, he was also able to move ahead of Thymen Arensman in the standings.
Stage honours went to Sepp Kuss, while Jonas Vingegaard retained the maglia rosa at the head of the race.
Hindley had sounded confident heading into the Giro’s final mountain block and backed it up when the road turned uphill.
“It’s far from over,” Hindley said earlier this week. “I’m feeling good and ready to fight all the way to the end.”
That fight has put the 2022 Giro winner in position for another Grand Tour podium.
After sitting just outside the top three earlier in the week, Hindley now heads into Saturday’s final mountain stage at Piancavallo with a chance to strengthen his grip on third, and potentially more if the race opens up again in the climbs.
General classification after Stage 19
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Vingegaard | Visma–Lease a Bike | 75:13:16 |
| 2 | Felix Gall | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale | +4:03 |
| 3 | Jai Hindley | Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe | +5:04 |
| 4 | Thymen Arensman | INEOS Grenadiers | +5:33 |
| 5 | Derek Gee | Lidl–Trek | +6:31 |
| 6 | Antonio Tiberi | Bahrain Victorious | +7:18 |
| 7 | Richard Carapaz | EF Education–EasyPost | +8:02 |
| 8 | Juan Ayuso | UAE Team Emirates | +8:47 |
| 9 | Damiano Caruso | Bahrain Victorious | +10:11 |
| 10 | Romain Bardet | Picnic PostNL | +11:02 |
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Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
