Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the 2022 Giro d’Italia but with the 2023 race route loaded with time trial kilometres this year, the Western Australian has set his sights firmly on the Tour de France this year instead.
The Tour de France has just one hilly 22km time trial and high mountain stages in every week of the race, which makes it the perfect year for Hindley to swap the pursuit of pink for yellow. It will be Hindley's Tour de France debut, but as an overall contender.
“Obviously Bora-Hansgrohe wants to take the best team possible, so for sure, everything has to be going right in order to be there,” Hindley told Cyclingnews at the Tour Down Under as he began his 2023 season in Australia.
“But when I look at the route for the Tour as opposed to the Giro, I mean for sure it would be nice to go back to the Giro with the number one on the back and all that, but if I'm looking at it realistically then the Tour route is much more suited to me and maybe, might not ever be as good for me again.”
The 2023 Tour de France starts in the Basque Country and has mountain stages in all five of France’s mountain ranges on the long journey to Paris.
“The route in terms of the climbing and the fact that there is one time trial – and it's a pretty hilly time trial – it's a big attraction and I think the team also see that as well," Hindley explained.
2023 will be a considerably different season for Hindley as he takes aim at the Tour de France. He has ridden the Giro d’Italia for the last four years, plus the Vuelta a España in 2018 and 2022. This time the races will be different, the timing of altitude camps will be different and his season peak will be later.
"It would be more of slow build up for the for the peak in July," said Hindley.
Early in the Tour Down Under, Hindley was unsure of his form. He lost time in the rain-soaked prologue time trial as he avoided risks but was looking to enjoy the week.
"Hopefully it'll be some good aggressive racing," he said. "I think a lot of teams also brought multiple guys for GC, so I think we'll see fireworks."
By stage 2, those fireworks has already started and despite his caution before the racing began, Hindley was well in the mix, joining a late attack on the final climb with Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma), Jay VIne (UAE Team Emirates), Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) and Mauro Schmid (Soudal-QuickStep).
"We were pretty committed to staying clear of the chasing group," said Hindley after that stage. "I went at the chicane section and got a bit of a gap, but ultimately I didn't have the legs to make it to the line and eventually the other guys passed me in the finale."
There are three more stages of the Tour Down Under left, with Hindley also racing the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race before he then turns his attention away from his home nation races. Before the Tour de France Hindley will target other stage races like the Itzulia Basque Country in April, which he last raced in 2018 and 2019.
"I think that would be a nice one to try to have an early peak for," said Hindley.
"I think it'd be nice to have a crack there, but I mean ultimately the goal is to be good in July, so that's the important thing. But it's a hard race Basque Country, I've done it a few times and always got my head kicked in, so hopefully I can not get it kicked in so much this year."
