How Jai Hindley’s road to glory began in Victoria’s high country

He counts him as “an idol” but now Jai Hindley is poised to claim Cadel Evans’ Tour de France crown. Here’s what we know about the Aussie rising star.

In something of an understatement, humble Australian cycling superstar Jai Hindley has described his shock Tour de France stage win as “not too shabby”.

The 27-year-old Perth cyclist — who has just become the first Aussie since Rohan Dennis in 2015 to wear the famous Tour de France yellow jersey — has now put himself in contention to take out the world’s most famous cycling race.

If he does, he will be just the second Australian in history to do so, after Victorian Cadel Evans’ epic win in 2011.

And Hindley’s road to glory started in Cadel’s home state — in the Victorian high country.

Jai Hindley celebrates at the finish line as stage winner during the stage five of the 110th Tour de France. Picture: Getty

Hindley celebrates at podium as yellow leader jersey winner. Picture: Getty

Despite scoring two major wins in 2017 at Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo and Tour of Fuzhou — just one year after he turned professional — it was not until his 2020 victory in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour that Hindley truly emerged as a potential world champion.

Riding for Sunweb, Hindley took out the Jayco Herald Sun Tour title after a rapid final stage, that he appeared to manage effortlessly, winning both the gruelling Falls Creek and Mount Buller mountain stages.

“It’s the biggest win of my career. I’m pretty ecstatic,” Hindley said at the time.

His prowess in the Victorian high country was a taste of what was to come, as the rising star continued to show both mettle and skill conquering arduous mountain climbs.

Hindley during the Mansfield to Mount Buller stage of the Herald Sun Tour. Picture: Michael Klein

Hindley on the podium after winning the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Picture: Michael Klein

Hindley with the Jayco Herald Sun Tour winner’s trophy in Melbourne. Picture: Michael Klein

Last year Hindley created history by becoming the first Australian to win the gruelling Giro d’Italia.

In an emotional reunion, his parents and girlfriend were there at the finish line to greet him.

Now he’s on track to take out the Tour de France, after breaking away from the pack in the Pyrenees to win the 162.4km mountain trek.

Again, his family was there to share the moment.

“It’s really incredible, and I’ve no words,” Hindley said after his win.

“I didn’t really know what to expect; it’s my first tour; it’s hard to come here with such massive ambition (to win it) already, but I wanna be competitive and have some form of success, and yeah, I just won a stage of the Tour de France.”

Cadel Evans holds the crown as Australia’s only Tour de France winner.

If he goes on to win it all, Hindley will claim Victorian cycling legend Cadel Evans’ crown as the only Australian in history to win the Tour de France.

Evans, who is understood to still have a house on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, in Barwon Heads, now lives in Switzerland.

As a young child he moved from an Indigenous community in the Northern Territory to northern NSW, then later to Arthurs Creek, north of Melbourne, where school was a 10km bike ride away.

The young man who may rise to equal or even better Evans as the nation’s best cyclist hails from Western Australia, but like Evans moved to Europe to train and compete.

Hindley was just 18 when he left Australia, to settle in Pescara, Italy.

He counts Evans as “an idol”, alongside other great Australian riders, Robbie McEwen and Stuart O’Grady, but credits his passion for cycling to his father, Gordon.

Hindley sprints in the 2022 Giro d'Italia. Picture: Getty

Hindley shares an emotional reunion with his parents Gordon and Robyn after winning the Giro. Picture: Getty

And a kiss with his girlfriend. The pandemic meant he spent years away from his loved ones while training in Europe. Picture: Getty

“I was six years old and I wanted to be a footballer. Then I saw the Tour de France on television and my life changed,” Hindley has said. “From that moment on I didn’t want to be anything other than a professional cyclist.”

The commitment has come at a cost, with years spent in Europe through the Covid pandemic, during which he did not see his loved ones.

Before the Giro he hadn’t seen his family since the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in February 2020, after which he was in his home town of Perth “for less than 24 hours” before heading back to Europe.

“I didn’t know that was the last time I was going to be back home for a couple of years,” Hindley said.

Originally published as How Jai Hindley’s road to glory began in Victoria’s high country