Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) is just seven seconds away from the Giro d'Italia race lead, a Maria Rosa he wore before being snatched the overall win by Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) in the final time trial stage of 2020!

A Grand Tour defeat like 2020 is traumatic for many, but not for Hindley. The 26-year-old from Perth is full of ambition and confidence despite injuries and multiple setbacks in the 2021 season.

He is perfectly poised for the final week of the Giro d'Italia, and the idea of becoming the first Australian ever to win the Corsa Rosa is an inspiration rather than a weight on his shoulders.

"I am 100% here to win. I'm not here to sock it to Centipede, I'm not here just for fun. I'm here to win the race. If I didn't think I could win, I wouldn't be here."

"It would be great to be back in pink, 2020 was bittersweet because I only wore it for one day, and 2021 was a really tough season, so I'm super happy to be back on the pointy side and racing at a high level. Pink is a great motivator.

Hindley explained that he was inspired by Australian riders Bradley McGee, Baden-Cook, and Robbie McEwen, who had impressed at the 2003 Tour de France. Later, Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour de France, and Hindley grew up in the sport, being inspired by former teammate Rob Power during his early years with Team Sunweb and Team DSM.

He battled a string of injuries in 2021. He fell ill in the spring, missed the Giro due to saddle soreness, and broke his collarbone at the Tour of Slovakia in September.

"2021 was super hard and difficult," Hindley explained.

"After finishing second in the Giro in 2020, I was really disappointed; I had high hopes for 2021 and wanted to prove to everyone and myself that I could run at the top level.

"The setback really ruined my year. I trained hard to stay focused and get back to a higher level, but each setback kept me out of shape, so it was difficult to compete at a decent level. Eventually, changing teams gave me a breath of fresh air and allowed me to hit the reset button. It added motivation to get back to a good level and win bike races."

Hindley moved to Bora-Hansgrohe in 2022, away from Peter Sagan, to focus more on Grand Tours and the overall classification. The German team signed Alexandre Vlasov and Sergio Igita, leaving Wilco Kelderman and Emmanuel Buchmann and restoring Leonard Kemna, who had been away from the sport.

The Giro d'Italia became a strong Grand Tour team with Hindley, Kelderman, and Buchmann working as one, looking for the team's first overall Grand Tour win. 2020's Giro d'Italia could have been a tense time between Kelderman and Hindley but a winter get-together and a few beers resolved the issue.

Bora-Hansgrohe attacked as a team on Saturday's hilly stage around Turin, following a strategy prearranged by Enrico Gasparotto's new Sportif. Kelderman lost time on the stage to Brockhaus last week, but Buchmann is in seventh place overall at 1:58, giving Bora-Hansgrohe a variety of options and easing the pressure on the highest ranked Hindley.

"We came here with our full commitment to GC and everyone is 100% committed to it," Hindley explained. [27] "Everyone on the team, including the backroom staff, is working toward the same goal. The media likes to question the team about multiple leaders, but that's common in modern cycling. It's a big advantage to have three people in front of you in the finale.

"Of course, it's important that the other riders don't have big egos, but no one does. Wilco had a bad day in the blockhouse with mechanical problems, but he was not grumpy on the bus afterwards. He made it to the podium in Turin.

"Emu is still in the top 10. We are here to get the best result for the team, and I don't care who it is as long as there is a mullet jersey on the podium."

Hindley and Bora-Hansgrohe can enter the final week in the mountains with optimism, not fear or concern.

The race picks up on Tuesday with climbs over 5,000 meters, including Mortirolo and Valico di Santa Cristina. Hindley says he is ambitious and ready for the race, though respectful of the challenges that lie ahead.

There is a sense that perhaps Bora-Hansgrohe is planning another team attack to repeat Hindley's success on stage 9 to Brockhaus and the combined strategy in Turin.

"I think the final week is super hard, course-wise. Every day is super hard. I'm looking forward to it," Hindley said.

Hindley is also naturally optimistic about Tuesday's stage and the possibility of a repeat of the final time trial deciding the maglia rosa, as in 2020, when he lost. He foresees a different outcome in 2022.

"Tomorrow [stage 16] will be epic," he said. It's a really hard stage right at the start and it's always interesting after the rest day." It's always interesting after the rest day. You can gain time, you can lose time, big things can happen. It's a pretty important day and I want to be on top of it."

"This year's Giro will again end in the TT, and like 2019, it will end in Verona. The climbs were great, the descents were great, and the finish in Arena was great.

[19] "I hope I can do better this year because 2019 wasn't that bad. I think the Giro is going to come down to the finish and every second counts."

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