After Pellizzari, Jai Hindley also confirms physical discomfort: “I looked how I felt”

A time trial never lies, and after the tenth stage, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe had to accept that their two leaders were not performing at their best. Both Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley lost some time, with their relative positions appearing to flip 180 degrees compared to the ninth stage on Sunday. After Pellizzari, IDL ProCycling also got a reaction from Hindley.

Thymen Arensman was undoubtedly the rider of the day. The Dutchman from Netcompany INEOS even beat Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) by over a minute in Tuesday’s time trial. Pellizzari and Hindley were the seventh and eighth fastest among the GC riders, while Red Bull had hoped for two excellent time trials.

Pellizzari’s hope of gaining time on Vingegaard had already been dashed after stage 9, when the young Italian lost nearly a minute and a half on the Dane at Corno delle Scale, who won the stage. Pellizzari had suffered from stomach issues, but after his Tuesday time trial, he expressed optimism that he was already feeling better. He lost 1:24 to Arensman and 18 seconds to Vingegaard.

In the ninth stage, Hindley had performed slightly better than Pellizzari, although the Australian also lost more time than earlier in the week on Blockhaus. For the 30-year-old former Giro d’Italia (2020) winner, it was an ominous sign. In the time trial, he crossed the line pale and without energy for a comment.

He spoke the next day in the mixed zone: “I looked how I felt. I am not one hundred percent, that was already the case the day before the rest day. Luckily, the rest day allowed some recovery, but in a 42-kilometer time trial, there is no real recovery. Such a long time trial is no fun,” Hindley said, smiling like a man with a toothache.

Hindley ultimately lost 13 seconds more than Pellizzari, which was surprising. He had shown a very active and explosive first week but commented: “I’m glad the time trial is over, although I had hoped for a better time. But it is what it is; everyone had to endure this. It was a tough effort, where you had to pace yourself carefully.”

Asked about the cause of his weakness, Hindley did not give a specific answer: “I don’t have stomach problems; it’s something else. I think I was about 25 watts below my normal level. When you are already exhausted in the last half hour, it really feels endless. I think I performed fairly well.” Pellizzari had already said after the time trial that he was riding about 35 watts below normal.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe must first get Pellizzari and Hindley back to full health before they can think about challenging Vingegaard, who does not seem untouchable. “He looks quite strong to me,” said Hindley. “He’s riding a strong race, although I don’t know if he’s in peak form. When I can, I’ll try to test that.”

After eleven stages, a podium in Rome is still within reach for both riders. Hindley is sixth, just over a minute behind Arensman, who in third place is Vingegaard’s first challenger. Pellizzari is ninth, half a minute further back. Their deficit to Vingegaard in the battle for the pink jersey is 2:39 (Hindley) and 3:09 (Pellizzari).

Stage 11 also went well in this regard; both riders finished safely in the peloton of favourites.

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])