All eyes on Evenepoel, but if Hindley delivers in the Vuelta, there could be a big problem

Anyone who has been following Google and social media over the past few weeks will have found almost no information about Hindley since he crashed hard on day 6 of the Giro on a slippery descent and had to abandon the race. “It was quite a nasty crash, in which I suffered a slight concussion and fractures in my vertebrae and shoulder blade. That wasn't pleasant, but considering the impact of the crash, I was actually quite lucky. It happened at high speed, but I was only off the bike for two weeks.”

Hindley sounded very positive in an interview with IDLProCycling.com, and was particularly appreciative of the support he received from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe over the past few weeks. “I received all the support I needed from the team to recover properly, including a week in Salzburg for my recovery at the Red Bull center, which really helped a lot. Once recovered, I went to Livigno to train at altitude and rode the Tour of Burgos.”

Those who watched his comeback in the Tour of Burgos were not immediately blown away. He finished somewhat anonymously in 25th place, well behind many of his upcoming Vuelta rivals. “I have to be honest and say that I wasn't fully prepared for the heat in Burgos, but it was fine,” he said by way of explanation. “I'm ready and looking forward to this Vuelta since my crash in the Giro. I'm happy to be here.”

Unlike many other potential leaders, Hindley is not afraid to voice his ambitions for the GC. “For me, it's clear that the GC is the main goal of the race. I'm going for it, with a three-week battle, which I expect to be an open race. Of course, Jonas (Vingegaard, ed.) is the big favorite, and then you have the two from UAE (João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, ed.), but I think it will be very open and aggressive, as always in the Vuelta."

Hindley won the Giro d'Italia in 2022, finished second in 2020, and wore the yellow jersey in the 2023 Tour de France after winning a stage. Since then, he has always had some physical issues, so the last two years have mainly been about Primoz Roglic, Daniel Felipe Martínez, and, this year, youngsters Giulio Pellizzari and Florian Lipowitz at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. In this incredible luxury, the arrival of Remco Evenepoel was also recently announced.

The question is justified: is there still room for Hindley's ambitions from 2026 onwards? “We already had a lot of guys for the general classification, but for Remco's ambitions, I think it's a huge step,” was the climber's positive response.“The team has made major progress, and Evenepoel is a phenomenal rider and a young guy with incredible talent. He will be a huge asset to the team, which I am looking forward to.”

According to Hindley, there is no pressure whatsoever in the Vuelta, even though it may be his last chance to prove himself as a potential leader for the years to come. “The team isn't putting any extra pressure on me, but of course, I have my own ambitions and expectations. I haven't had the best Grand Tours in recent years, so I really want to do well here, show what I can do, and compete with the best.”

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