Hindley trailed overall leader Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) by three seconds heading into the 152-kilometre stage, though he thought his rival had moved clear once disaster struck.
The Bora-Hansgrohe star panicked, according to one sports director, even stopping on the wrong side of the road as Carapaz and the peloton pedalled to the finish line.
At that moment, it appeared the Australian’s Giro hopes had vanished, but because the mechanical occurred inside the final three kilometres, he was given the same time as the riders he was originally with, as per the UCI’s race rules.
Hindley was among those unsure if he’d done enough to keep pace with Carapaz on the virtual podium, though teammate Lennard Kamna wasn’t worried.
“I think he had a mechanical in the last 2.5 kilometres, and we should get the same time, so it’s no stress,” Kamna said before results were confirmed.
“It was not a relaxed stage; it was a pretty hard day. We were quite stressed in the last 30 kilometres.
“The mechanical is a pity, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
A review from the race commissaires later confirmed the results, with Hindley given the same time as the peloton despite crossing the line 1’05” down.
Carapaz remains three seconds ahead of Hindley as a result, with Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) third at 1’05”, followed by Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan), who moved into fourth at 5’48” after Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) could not compete due to COVID-19.
“For us, it was all about getting Jai safely from A to B,” Bora sports director Jens Zemke said of the situation.
“He had a flat tyre in the last three kilometres, but we were on the safe side, by virtue of the rule which states that riders with a mechanical in the last three kilometres do not lose time.
“The next stages will be very challenging and we are still extremely motivated to fight for the overall win.”
Dries De Bondt of Alpecin-Fenix meanwhile took the stage honours after leading a four-man breakaway to the line ahead of the main sprinters.
The Giro d'Italia continues tonight with Stage 19 live via SBS On Demand from 8pm (AEST), with SBS joining the coverage at 11pm (AEST). WA viewers can watch the race on SBS VICELAND from 9pm (AWST).
