Hindley about cutthroat competition at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe: 'Adapt or die, basically'

Primoz Roglic, Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari and now Remco Evenepoel.... Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has more than enough top climbers in the team and leaders for the grand tours. And then there's also a Giroliner riding on the team. Jai Hindley has more than enough competition, and that in a contract year.

Where other riders have more goals, for the Australian it's clear what he is cycling for. "Grand Tours for me are like the pinnacles of the sport," he told Domestique. He will ride at least the Giro d'Italia in 2026, but hopes for more opportunities. “I’ve got a soft spot for the Giro, so I’m always happy to go back there, and then it’s good to do the Tour or the Vuelta afterwards.”

Hindley finished fourth in this year's Vuelta. It had been a while since we had seen him at the top.“If I’m being totally honest, I really needed a good result at a Grand Tour again. It had been a while since I had actually done something, maybe since 2023, so personally, I really needed that for myself. It was really nice to be back at the pointy end of a Grand Tour and pretty competitive, especially in the last week. I took a lot away from that.”

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has already announced that Evenepoel and Lipowitz will be the leaders in the Tour de France. It will be the first time for the Belgian to step into a double leader role. Will he be able to make it work? Hindley already has experience with it, and will ride alongside Pellizzari in the Giro this year.

What does it take to make it work? "Honestly? No big egos," said the climber. “You have to do everything you can and back yourself, and if it goes well, then it goes well for you. But if not, then you have to put everything aside and also be willing to help your teammates. I can expect that with Giulio, and he can expect that of me, so I think trust is a big one.”

The fourth place in the Vuelta was confirmation for Hindley that he's still up there, but the gap with the biggest names of the sport is quite large. "As Greg LeMond said, it never gets easier, you just go faster," Hindley smiles. “You feel the sport is evolving rapidly, the races are getting more and more fast, and it’s not getting any easier, that’s for sure. So, adapt or die, basically.”

Cyclists are going faster and faster, and the Australian thinks he knows how that works. “It was probably heading in this direction anyway, but I think COVID was a real accelerator for that. And I mean, we’re probably in a pretty special era of cycling as well. You’ve got arguably one of the best cyclists of all time as the number one rider at the moment, and if you want to compete with him, then you also need to be at your absolute best.”

It's tough to keep your head above water in what is a tough-as-nails sport, Hindley also knows. But he still enjoys the sport, more than ever even. "In the end, your worst, your absolute worst day on the bike is still better than your best day at the office. Like, 100%. It’s an awesome sport, and it takes a lot away, but it also gives you really a lot.”

Hindley's contract expires in 2026. Will he stay with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, or will he opt for a new adventure? There will be no shortage of interest, especially if he rides a strong Giro. “I don’t think there’s so many GC guys also on the market. Everyone seems to be locked in till, I don’t know, 2035 or something. I’m not like stressing about it, I would say. But it’s definitely something that I’m thinking about.”

Competition at the German formation is fierce, but Hindley sees it as a good thing. it just totally depends on your perspective. I think if you’re pessimistic, you can think like, ‘Oh shit, there’s all these guys here, and now I’m not going to get my shot. Or you can think like, ‘Ok, all these guys are on board, so now I really need to step up my game and be as consistent as possible. I’m pretty optimistic.”