Hindley, the Aussie icon of a global Giro d’Italia

The 105th edition of the Giro d’Italia, starting with an unprecedented Grande Partenza in Hungary and finishing in the traditional venue of Verona, crowned its first Australian winner, while Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay wrote history again.

A huge first and a magnificent 16th. On Sunday, in the sumptuous Verona Arena, Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) became the first Australian winner of the Giro d’Italia, wrapping up three weeks of intense competition with his best individual time trial (ITT) performance ever to seal overall victory two years after he lost the Maglia Rosa on the final day of the 2020 Giro. This time, Hindley held off Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) to make Australia the 16th nation with a representative in the star-studded list of Corsa Rosa winners.

The young climber from Perth wrote history in a traditional venue, Verona, a classic of the Giro, regularly visited by the race since 1924. The city of love is associated with success for Italian icons such as Costante Girardengo, Alfredo Binda, Gino Bartali, Francesco Moser… In recent years, it has also been a firsthand witness of the increasing globalisation of the event.

Ten years ago, the American team Garmin-Sharp dominated the team time trial in Verona to make Ramunas Navardauskas – a former UCI World Cycling Centre trainee - the first (and so far only) Lithuanian leader of a Grand Tour. In 2019, the Arena hosted the first Ecuadorian Grand Tour victory, when Richard Carapaz lifted the Trofeo Senza Fine. Last Sunday, it came at the end of Jai Hindley’s road to glory, a journey that began in Budapest.

From Koblet to Hindley

“I’m a proud Australian and I’m delighted to take this win home, being the first Australian to win the Giro,” Hindley celebrated on May 29th 2022, exactly 20 years after his compatriot Cadel Evans became the first Aussie to claim the Maglia Rosa (only for a day). Australian history in the Giro began in 1952, with the participation of John Beasley, Peter Antony and Eddie Smith with Team Nilux. None of them finished the race dominated by Fausto Coppi.

The first 32 editions of the Giro were all won by local heroes, from Luigi Ganna in 1909 to Fausto Coppi in 1949. The first foreigner to join the Italians in the winners’ list was Switzerland’s Hugo Koblet, in 1950. He was followed by his compatriot Carlo Clerici in 1954, then Luxembourg’s Charly Gaul (1956), France’s Jacques Anquetil (1960), Belgium’s Eddy Merckx (1968), Sweden Gösta Petterson (1971)…

In the past ten years, one Italian star raised the Trofeo Senza Fine, Vincenzo Nibali, in 2013 and 2016. Meanwhile, six nations have taken a maiden victory: Ryder Hesjedal’s Canada (2012), Nairo Quintana’s Colombia (2014), Tom Dumoulin’s Netherlands (2017), Chris Froome’s Great Britain (2018), Richard Carapaz’s Ecuador (2019) and now Jai Hindley’s Australia.

Hindley embodies the diversity of cycling today, hailing from Australia, joining the international pelotons with Asian UCI Continental Teams (Taiwan’s Attaque Team Gusto and China’s Mitchelton Scott), before stepping up to European UCI WorldTeams Sunweb and Bora-Hansgrohe. His first victory came in the 2017 Tour of Fuzhou, after a tight battle with Hong Kong’s Ka Hoo Fung.

International celebrations and Eritrean pride

Globalisation can be felt at every level of the Giro, from the start list (featuring riders from 29 different nations) to the route (starting in Hungary and crossing the Slovenian border to celebrate the recent successes of Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič) and side events such as Giro d’Italia Virtual, allowing fans from all around the world to ride the course of the different stages tackled by the pro peloton.

When it comes to fans, the 2022 Giro also provided spectacular images of crowds joining the Italian party from all around the world. Among them, Eritrean fans revelled in success again, a few weeks after Biniam Girmay’s historical win in Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields. His countrymen Merhawi Kudus (EF Education-EasyPost) and Natnael Tesfazion (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli) animated the race, especially in the mountains. And Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) sprinted to victory in Jesi on stage 10.

Second on the day, Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) saluted his rival’s historic win, the first for a Black African rider in a Grand Tour, with a thumb up even before crossing the line. Greatness recognises greatness.