The Superga is not exactly a terrifying peak. Rather a gentle hill that rises on the outskirts of Turin, with the pilgrimage church Basilica della Natività di Maria Vergine as an ornament at its highest point. And yet it is a menacing place, as its history shows - after all, an aeroplane with the AC Turin football team on board crashed here in 1949. 31 people were killed.
But in the profile of the 105. Giro d'Italia the journey across the 655 metres At first glance, the high panoramic road doesn't look as if it could jeopardise any ambitions for overall victory - a scoop of sand compared to the giants on the course: the Etna or the Log cabin in the Abbruzzi or the challenges that still awaited the peloton in the Alps such as Mortirolo Pass, Pordoi Pass or Fedaia Pass. The mountains that at first glance seemed to separate the wheat from the chaff on this three-week journey through Hungary and Italy.
At the Team Bora-Hansgrohe but the circular route around the capital of the Piedmont in the Roadbook highlighted in red. "There are a few stages in every Giro where you can make a grande casino (Italian for riot; editor's note)," emphasises Wilco Keldermanwho therefore organised the day trip around Turin in March with the Sports Director Enrico Gasparotto on site. The German racing team had big plans for this Giro d'Italia and had come up with something special for this 14th stage. Something that would surprise, almost shock the competition.
The competition: Baffled by Bora-Hansgrohe
After the stage, when everything was over Mikel Landa from the Team Bahrain-Victorious looked in the first interviews like a class bully who was called to the blackboard for questioning - and was caught on the only day he hadn't studied. The Basque rider, who had already led the peloton at the Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana with his attacks on the mountain, usually well prepared by his team-mates, was one of the losers on the evening of this extremely hot May day in Turin.
After a veritable rollercoaster ride on winding roads through the range of hills at the gates of Turinwith short, but very steep ramps - with two rounds over Superga and the neighbouring, similarly high Colle della Maddalena. "We didn't expect this. Perhaps we were all too focussed on Ineos Grenadiers looked. It was of course a big surprise that Bora caused so much damage in the field"the 32-year-old veteran admitted in Verona when looking back.
Reacting instead of acting
Team Ineos Grenadierswhich has dominated the big stage races for years and the 2019 Giro winner, Richard Carapazwho had started the race as captain and top favourite, was forced to react on this day instead of acting as usual. Team Bora-Hansgrohe had thrown everything into the race with full team strength. With an orchestrated ride with many breakaways and merciless pace dictation, they had brought about a result that has rarely been seen on a stage outside the high mountains. For minutes on end, only individual riders crossed the finish line.
Although the Pink jersey at the end of this stage Carapaz - but the performance of the Bora gang made an impact: Leader Jai Hindley was the winner of the day alongside the fastest on the stage Simon Yates - otherwise there were almost only losers in the peloton. And many enthusiastic observers outside. "Tactically elegant solution, I am thrilled", said Jens Voigt as an expert on the TV channel Eurosport to this performance. "Maybe we've seen a new team for the overall classification," said Basque rider Landa, who ultimately finished third at the end of this Giro d'Italia.
Bora-Hansgrohe's plan works
And that was precisely the plan of Team boss Ralph Denk and the newly engaged Head of sport Rolf Aldag been: the Bora-Hansgrohe racing team to become a force in the three-week stage races - on a par with the previously known protagonists: Landa's Team Bahrain Victorious, Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma. "The Turin stage was certainly a key moment in terms of gaining a certain standing in the field and earning respect. But we worked really well together from day one", said the German Bora pro Lennard Kämna in his Giro review. But the day on the Superga only unfolded its full significance in retrospect.
What happened a week later in the Verona Arena was the fulfilment of a dream for Denk and Co. - and the result of the development that had become apparent in the hills around Turin: the Australian Jai Hindley rolled on a pink racing bike over a pink carpet from the Piazza Brà. This was the last stage finish of this Giro, in the ancient Roman battlefield and today's opera stage, where thousands of fans celebrated him as a Winner of the 105th Giro d'Italia received.
The one to Start of the season from Denk newly committed Climbing specialist not only achieved the podium finish he had been aiming for - he also gave Bora-Hansgrohe the first Overall victory with one of the three Grand Toursthe three-week stage races Giro, Tour and Vuelta. It was the completion of a masterpiece that Hindley with his team-mates on the roads of the Giro. What had begun as the first orchestral rehearsal of a collection of soloists immediately became a perfectly performed cycling symphony.
Launch ramp at the Fedaia Pass
The day before arriving in Verona, the 26-year-old Hindley had already all but crowned the three weeks of preparatory work with an impressive solo: a scream echoed over the rock faces of the Marmolada on Fedaia Passas thousands of fans, a crowd of journalists and team supporters watching on TV screens along the mountain road saw two men in green pedalling energetically in the foreground and the face of the man in pink beginning to blur in the background. "I only had one cartridge in the barrel, the shot had to be right", Hindley later said a little martially about the decisive moment on the more than 3400 kilometres of the Tour of Italy, when he beat all his rivals, including the previous leader Richard Carapaz left standing.
Before the Individual time trial At the end in Verona, the slender yet explosive climbing specialist was determined to avoid a similar experience to 2020 - when he was beaten at the last moment in the final battle against the clock as the wearer of the pink jersey by Britain's Tao Geoghegan Hart lost. This time, he wanted to go into the unloved final exam with a sufficient time cushion. Mission accomplished: By the finish, Hindley had turned a three-second deficit on his rival Carapaz into a 1:25-minute lead.
Selfless teamwork
"A dream scenario", said team-mate Kämna on top of the Fedaia Passwhat he had just performed with Hindley. Kämna, who had been in a breakaway group since shortly after the start in Belluno, dropped back before the steepest ramps with a relaxed kick. He then stretched out in front of his onrushing team-mate Hindley and his last remaining appendage Carapaz and pedalled so hard for a few hundred metres that the tough Ecuadorian let go with a pained face.
Kämna dropped out, Hindley stormed up the last summit of the Giro as if uninhibited. At the finish line, his team-mates hugged each other after Hindley had spent a few minutes on the tarmac of the pass road recovering from his Par force ride had recovered in the arms of the team doctor.
The Australian had the Teamwork The German team originally started the race with three possible leaders. In retrospect, this was a strategy that proved its worth: after all, many teams at this Giro looked downright gutted after their leaders dropped out for a variety of reasons: Miguel Angel Lopez with Astana, Tom Dumoulin with Jumbo-Visma, Simon Yates with BikeExchangeor Romain Bardet with DSM.
And so the terrific form of the best in an original front three masked the confusion and problems of sub-optimal race preparation with crashes and illnesses at Bora - the pilot project as a pure classification team could well have gone wrong.
Kelderman not in top form
Kelderman, who finished third in the 2020 Giro, realised early on in the race that he would not be able to ride again after a heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège was not in top form, the podium was over early out of sight - and so he not only selflessly volunteered as Hindley's helper and pacemaker around Turin.
Germany's beacon of hope Emanuel BuchmannThe third rider in the group was unable to keep up with Hindley and Carapaz on the long climbs, but fought hard for the win. Seventh place overall - his best Grand Tour finish after fourth place at the 2019 Tour. "I'm not that dissatisfied - I had an extremely difficult preparation with many setbacks. I'm not at my absolute top level," summarised the Swabian.
Kämna impresses at the restart
Another German had made a new start in Italy, so to speak: Lennard Kämnaacclaimed two years ago Stage winner at the Tour de France, lost interest in cycling the previous year, took some time out and now delighted cycling fans with a role as a free radical in the team: as a Stage winner on Etna, a front runner on several mountain stages and Hindley's last helper on the way to triumph in the Giro finale.
"When it comes to winning the Giro, it's not really difficult to back down", said Kämna about his selfless renunciation of a possible stage win on the final mountain stage. "It was a very nice race. It went very, very well for the team; and for me personally I take away the fact that I was able to ride another Grand Tour at a very high level, which gave me a lot of pleasure," said Kämna.
"Success welds together", emphasised Jens Zemkewho as Sports Director together with Enrico Gasparotto He was in charge of the ensemble - but he also knows how teams fall apart when things don't work out. But everyone was happy - regardless of their personal success. "It really was a great three weeks", says Kelderman after a race in which he searched for his form and was plagued by several defects.
"I have already forgotten the disappointment about my performance - This team performance gives me so much more. It was the first time we tried to go full throttle for the overall classification and it worked straight away," summarised the Veteran from the Netherlands, who was still dithering on the day of Turin when it came to realising the bold plan he had drawn up for so long.
Kelderman as pacemaker
Then, at the request of Kämna and Hindley, he allowed himself to become a merciless Pacesetter driven by the euphoric group dynamic. In the catacombs of the Arena di Verona, the Dutchman was reminded of 2017. Back then, he was part of the Team Sunweb Giro squad that accompanied Tom Dumoulin on his way to overall victory.
In the months that followed, the team's riders won four stages, the green jersey and the mountain jersey at the Tour, Kelderman finished fourth at the Vuelta, and finally, in the autumn, they won the team time trial world championship title together. "I'm sure that every Bora-Hansgrohe rider sitting at home now is getting extra motivation", said the 31-year-old veteran.
"Watch out for Bora-Hansgrohe in future", said leader Hindley as his closing words in Verona, before heading off for a few celebratory beers at the last-minute victory party near the arena and then off on holiday. They are now hungry for more. To be continued.
Giro d'Italia 2022 - The results
1. Budapest - Visegrád
- Distance: 195 km
- Stage winnerMathieu van der Poel (NED, Alpecin-Fenix)
- Pink jerseyMathieu van der Poel (NED, Alpecin-Fenix)
- Distance: 9.2 km
- Stage winnerSimon Yates (GBR, BikeExchange-Jayco)
- Pink jerseyMathieu van der Poel
- Distance: 201 km
- Stage winnerMark Cavendish (GBR, Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl)
- Pink jerseyMathieu van der Poel
- Distance: 166 km
- Stage winnerLennard Kämna (GER, Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Pink jerseyt: Juan Pedro Lopez (ESP, Trek-Segafredo)
- Distance: 172 km
- Stage winnerArnaud Démare (FRA, Groupama-FDJ)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Nibali announces end of career
- Distance: 192 km
- Stage winnerArnaud Démare (FRA, Groupama-FDJ)
- Pink jerseyt: Juan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 198 km
- Stage winnerKoen Bouwman (NED, Jumbo-Visma)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 149 km
- Stage winnerThomas De Gendt (BEL, Lotto-Soudal)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 187 km
- Stage winnerJai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 194 km
- Stage winnerBiniam Girmay (ERI, Intermarché-Wanty)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Prosecco mishap forces Girmay to retire
- Distance: 201 km
- Stage winnerAlberto Dainese (ITA, DSM)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 186 km
- Stage winnerStefano Oldani (ITA, Alpecin-Fenix)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 157 km
- Stage winnerArnaud Démare (FRA, Groupama-FDJ)
- Pink jerseyJuan Pedro Lopez
- Distance: 153 km
- Stage winnerSimon Yates (GBR, BikeExchange-Jayco)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz (ECU, Ineos Grenadiers)
- Distance: 177 km
- Stage winnerGiulio Ciccone (ITA, Trek-Segafredo)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz
- Distance: 200 km
- Stage winnerJan Hirt (TCH, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz
- Distance: 165 km
- Stage winnerSergio Buitrago (COL, Bahrain Victorious)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz
- Distance: 146 km
- Stage winnerDries De Bondt (BEL, Alpecin-Fenix)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz
- Distance: 178 km
- Stage winnerKoen Bouwman (NED, Jumbo-Visma)
- Pink jerseyRichard Carapaz
- Distance: 165 km
- Stage winnerAlessandro Covi (ITA, UAE Team Emirates)
- Pink jerseyJai Hindley (AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Distance: 17,1 km
- Stage winnerMatteo Sobrero (ITA, BikeExchange-Jayco)
- Pink jerseyJai Hindley
Overall ranking
1st Jai Hindley
(AUS, Bora-Hansgrohe), 86:31:14 hrs.
2. Richard Carapaz
(Ecuador, Ineos Grenadiers), +1:18 min.
3. Mikel Landa
(ESP, Bahrain Victorious), +3:24
4th Vincenzo Nibali
(ITA, Astana), +9:02
5th Pello Bilbao
(ESP, Bahrain Victorious), +9:14
6 Jan Hirt
(TCH, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), +9:28
7 Emanuel Buchmann
(GER, Bora-Hansgrohe), +13:19
8th Domenico Pozzovivo
(ITA, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), +17:29
9th Hugh Carthy
(GBR, EF Education-Easy Post), +17:54
10th Juan Pedro Lopez
(ESP, Trek-Segafredo), +18:40
... 19. Lennard Kämna
(GER, Bora-Hansgrohe), +43:58
Points classification (purple jersey)
- Arnaud Démare (FRA, Groupama-FDJ), 254 points;
- Fernando Gaviria (COL, UAE Team Emirates), 136;
- Mark Cavendish (GBR, Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl), 132
Mountain classification (blue jersey)
- Koen Bouwman (NED, Jumbo-Visma),294 points;
- Giulio Ciccone (ITA, Trek-Segafredo), 163;
- Alessandro Covi (ITA, UAE Team Emirates), 102
Junior classification (white jersey)
- Juan Pedro Lopez (ESP, Trek-Segafredo), 86:49:54 hrs;
- Santiago Buitrago (COL, Bahrain-Victorious), +5:43 min;
- Pavel Sivakov (FRA, Ineos Grenadiers), +23:03
Team classification
- Bahrain Victorious, 259:48:12 hrs.
- Bora-Hansgrohe, +4:07 min.
- Ineos Grenadiers, +1:22:29 hrs.
Giro winner Jai Hindley
Aggressive and approachable
"I would die for the pink jersey," said Jai Hindley towards the end of the Giro. Two years ago, the Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart The coveted jersey was snatched from him on the final day of the Tour of Italy - Hindley's performance in the final time trial was too poor.
The bitter defeat had been hanging over him for a long time, the professional from the Team Bora-Hansgrohe one. This was followed by health problems last season and his withdrawal from the Giro, after which he wanted to make up for lost time in the Vuelta but was not nominated for the race by his former team DSM. It was "A rocky road", says the 26-year-old Australian.
Hindley makes history
This time everything went well: Hindley, who grew up in Perth, Western Australia, is the first Giro winner from the fifth continent - Cadel Evans, the first Tour de France winner from Australia in 2011, failed several times in Italy.
At the victory celebration in Verona could Hindley He was able to embrace his parents for the first time in almost two and a half years - the strict Australian entry regulations had prevented him from travelling home during the pandemic. At least he had his Australian girlfriend Abby Chandler at his side.
What makes Jai Hindley tick
His parents play a special role: his father Gordononce a racing cyclist himself in Manchester, emigrated to Australia, started a family and infected his two sons with his passion for cycling in his new home country. Gordon's Development Team became a family project: the father also took a small group of young cyclists to Trips into the Pyrenees and taught them European cycling history. Mum Robyn thought it was a good idea for the offspring to try his hand at a team sport in the meantime: but the starving mountain rider type was not ideally suited to rugby. After a year, he returned to cycling.
Nice, normal, approachable, attentive, interested - This is how team and professional colleagues describe Hindley, who sometimes points out to the presenter in press conferences that he has overlooked a journalist's request to speak. He does not name an international cycling star as his idol, but rather Robert Power.
The mate, who once also travelled with Gordon's Development Team, is like "a big brother" in cycling. One year older, he was once regarded as Australia's greatest tour talent, but ended his career in 2021 after many setbacks. Hindley therefore knows that it is not a matter of course to have come this far.
Facts & Figures
Jai Hindley
- Nationality: Australian
- Born: 5 May 1996 in Perth (Australia)
- Size: 1.75 metres
- Weight: 60 kilos
- Place of residence: Girona (Spain)
- Marital status: in a relationship with Abby Chandler
- Teams: 2016 Attaque Team Gusto 2017 Mitchelton-Scott 2018-2021 Sunweb/DSM 2022 Bora-Hansgrohe
Important successes
- 2017 Tour of Fuzhou
- 2019 Second Tour of Poland
- 2020 Herald Sun Tour, stage win and second overall in the Giro d'Italia
- 2022 Giro d'Italia stage and overall victory
Andreas Kublik
Editor
