Australia’s Jai Hindley on brink of proving he deserves place at cycling’s top table

On Monday, Australian cyclist Jai Hindley made headlines for his peculiarly Australian turn of phrase. During the final rest day of the Giro d’Italia, the gruelling three-week Italian grand tour, Hindley was asked about his prospects with just a handful of seconds separating him from the hallowed pink leader’s jersey.

“Yeah for sure, 100%,” said a confident Hindley. “Like, we’re not here to put socks on centipedes. We’re here to win the race. So yeah, why not?” His remarks clearly baffled the foreign journalists in attendance, one of whom asked him to clarify. “It means we’re not here to play around,” he added.

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While Hindley’s centipede remark may have bemused non-Australians, and in an unusual way underscored the seriousness of his assault on the 105th Giro, there was something else he said on Monday that may prove more consequential. A subsequent admission by Hindley highlighted his character and motivation ahead of the final days of the race, which concludes Sunday.

“I wanted to prove to myself I was capable of riding at that level,” said Hindley. “And that it wasn’t a fluke like people on social media think.”

Two years ago, Hindley was just 24. He was well-regarded by astute domestic cycling figures, who had followed his rise, but was not considered a serious general classification contender at the grand tour level. Other Australians have been touted as natural successors to the only Australian to have won a grand tour, Cadel Evans – the likes of Jack Haig, Lucas Hamilton and Ben O’Connor. Hindley was seen to be talented, certainly, but not yet up there with the best.

But at the 2020 edition of the Giro, Hindley finished second