The retirement of Richie Porte may mean the last victor at the WorldTour race will be missing from the Santos Tour Down Under in 2023 but there will be plenty of hope from local fans that another Australian could step into the void, particularly with Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) now confirmed as a starter at the January 17 to 22 race.
The Giro d’Italia winner will be lining up at the Tour Down Under for a fourth time, but COVID-19 has meant the South Australian race hasn’t run since Porte claimed the crown in 2020, and so a lot has changed for Hindley since he last pinned on a number for the event.
When Hindley first raced the Tour Down Under in 2017, coming 25th, it was with the Australian national team, and he was lining up at his first WorldTour event ever. In 2019 he was riding with Team Sunweb in support of Chris Hamilton and came 18th. He then equalled that placing in 2020 before going on to round out his Australian summer of racing with victory at the Jayco Herald-Sun Tour.
That 2020 Australian summer victory turned out to be the beginning of a breakthrough year where Hindley’s true potential became clearly evident, with the rider from Perth taking second in the Giro d’Italia. This year his shift up to the top step provided Australia with its first Grand Tour victor since Cadel Evans won the Tour de France in 2011.
2023 Giro d’Italia will be a race of attrition, […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.cyclingnews.com