With TT skills, cool guy as support and third-week engine, could Hindley still trouble Vingegaard and Almeida in the Vuelta?

Hindley is, of course, no stranger to the top of the rankings in a Grand Tour, but it had been two years since the climber last achieved this. In 2023, he won a stage in the first week of the Tour de France and took the yellow jersey. Due to a crash, he finished that Tour in seventh place, which was also his last top ten finish in a Grand Tour.

The winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2022 and the runner-up in the Giro in 2020 rode the Tour in 2024 in support of Primoz Roglic, and at the start of this year in the Giro, he withdrew in the first week after a nasty crash. After a period of rest, Hindley picked up where he left off and prepared for the Vuelta at altitude in peace. It was the first time since the 2023 Tour that he had arrived so fresh.

Good preparation and no physical setbacks mean that we are finally seeing the Hindley of the past again in the Vuelta. “It's been a long time since I've been at this level, and it's nice to be back where I belong,” he said of what are perhaps his best legs ever. How did he suddenly get them back? “It's a combination of circumstances.”

Because in recent years, he has managed to succeed twice in the Giro, but very often not in a Grand Tour. “It's difficult to pinpoint one thing; it's not that I've just been sitting on the sofa. I've always given my all to reach this level, but it didn't always work out at the most important events of the season. That was frustrating, so it's nice to be back now.”

According to Hindley, the crash in the Giro was “not ideal,” but it did allow him to build up from scratch for the Vuelta. “In the end, we came up with a plan, and I arrived here perhaps fresher than guys who have already done a Grand Tour. The team is also giving it their all, which gives me a lot on the road. When you get that much support, you want to deliver for your teammates.”

When asked whether he might even be able to go for the overall victory in the third week of the Vuelta with Vingegaard and Almeida less fresh, Hindley remained humble. “You always race to win, but right now the goal is a podium place in Madrid. That would be great, and the team would deserve it. But it won't be easy, it won't be a gift.”

“But a Grand Tour lasts three weeks and is always unpredictable. You never know how your rivals will perform in the final week, and I'm usually at my best in the third week,” continued Hindley, who is usually at his best in the third week. That was the week he secured the Giro victory in 2022. “The first two weeks are often tough, but after that I feel physically at my best.”

“That's not something specific, it's just how I am,” he said with a laugh. “My greatest strength is my ability to recover. I'm never perfect in a one-week stage race, but I can remain very consistent over three weeks. I've always had that, ever since my first Grand Tour.” Could that be the key against Vingegaard and Almeida, who did the Tour de France in July?

Hindley did not want to speculate too much about possible fatigue among his rivals in the third week of the Vuelta. “The level in the Tour was insane, really bizarre. Maybe Jonas is a bit tired after that race. They also have one man down (Axel Zingle dropped out on day 3, ed.), in an edition of the Vuelta that is not easy to control. They are riding a bit more conservatively and waiting for their day to go all-in.”

“He wasn't bad on the Angliru, was he?” Hindley asked aloud. What's more, there's another time trial on day 18, which Vingegaard and Almeida are usually a bit better at. “Fortunately, we have Dan Bigham and Jonny Wale, who have a lot of experience and knowledge and are on top of the time trial. That was always my weakness, but especially in the last two years, I have worked hard on it and focused on it more than ever.”

“The time trial will be crucial,” Hindley emphasized, referring to the difficult stages in the final week. “The day after the rest day will also be a difficult stage, much more difficult than people think. The twentieth stage (finishing at Bola del Mundo, ed.) will be epic, with a final climb that will be decisive. It will be tough, and we'll see what happens. If there are opportunities, we'll go for it.”

In a press moment that focused a lot on the Vuelta podium, Vingegaard and Almeida, we almost overlooked the fact that after fifteen days, someone else is in third place. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) is discovering himself as a GC contender, but in the last uphill finishes, he has already shown some small cracks in his armor.

“I don't really talk to him, but he's riding a great race so far. He's in good shape and has a high level, but let's see how it goes in the last week,” said Hindley, who has the advantage of having a great domestique at his side in Giulio Pellizzari. “He's a cool guy, it's great to work with him. He has incredible energy, both on and off the bike.”

Pellizzari is sixth in the GC. “He's an incredible talent, and it's great to see him riding a good race himself. He's already ridden for me, but he also wears the white jersey. He's already a big star, but definitely someone to watch out for in the future.” They will even be competing against each other at the World Championships in Rwanda. “I hope to emerge from the Vuelta in good shape; I am really looking forward to the World Championships.”

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