Aussie Focus

Hindley fulfils childhood dream on 'epic' day in yellow

It didn't go the way he hoped, but Australian Jai Hindley (BORA-Hansgrohe) had the time of his life as he soaked up the moment of wearing the yellow jersey in a stage of the Tour de France.

CYCLING-FRA-TDF2023-STAGE6

BORA - hansgrohe's Australian rider Jai Hindley wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey (L) bumps fists with UAE Team Emirates' Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar wearing the best young rider's white jersey (R) as they await the start of the 6th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 145 km between Tarbes and Cauterets-Cambasque, in the Pyrenees mountains in southwestern France, on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images) Source: Getty / THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

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The West Australian took to the start line with the select jersey leaders before Stage 6 alongside stars of the sport in Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) before setting off for the ride from Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque with the yellow jersey on his shoulders.

His parents, Gordon and Robyn were also in attendance again at the start line, wishing him well after witnessing his incredible solo victory in yesterday's Stage 5, as it seemed Hindley was still unable to wipe the smile off his face still taking in what he'd achieved.
Unfortunately for Hindley, his BORA-Hansgrohe teammates weren't able to support him on the Col du Tourmalet when Jumbo-Visma thinned out the peloton with an intense pace, and he found himself isolated trying to stay with the race's best two riders in Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) a battle he just couldn't win.

Pogacar went on to win the stage while Vingegaard took over the yellow jersey, Hindley sliding to third overall, but the experience for him was still an unforgettable one as he had realised every cyclist's dream just by taking part in the stage.

"It was a long day out, but super cool to race in the yellow jersey on some epic climbs," a breathless Hindley said following the stage.
"It's a childhood dream fulfilled to win a stage of the Tour, take the yellow jersey and wear it the next day, I still can't believe it. There were a lot of guys coming up and saying congratulations which was also super nice.

"I think it was a pretty epic day of racing to be honest."

Winning from the breakaway yesterday was no easy feat, but the task Hindley was presented with today to try and stay with the two best cyclists in the world was a mammoth one.

"It was pretty painful," Hindley said of trying to stay with Pogacar and Vingegaard.

"I could see Jumbo were gonna set something up on the Tourmalet, they started to ride a pretty solid tempo from the bottom which was pretty uncomfortable.
"Then I think with 5km from the top they really went super hard, and I just tried to hang on for as long as I could, but just didn't manage to hold on for that long. It's like that."

While it wasn't his best result, losing the yellow jersey didn't seem to matter as much to Hindley than the feeling of wearing it and the support he has received from back home in Australia definitely wasn't lost on him.

"To all the Aussie fans back home and everyone else for the support, thanks very much, I really appreciate it and it means the world," Hindley said.

"Also to all the Aussie flags on the side of the road. There's a lot and it's super cool to see."

At 27 years old with a Giro d'Italia title and stage win at his first Tour de France already under his belt, it's clear Hindley is built for the big stage, and is undoubtedly set for more great moments in the next two weeks.


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4 min read
Published 7 July 2023 6:00am
By SBS Sport
Source: SBS


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