'It was an accident': Inside Jai Hindley's Tour de France yellow jersey coup
After finding himself in the breakaway, the Australian relied on his homework and seized his chance
A hearty clap and a yelp for joy pierce out from inside the Bora-Hansgrohe team bus. 200m down the road, in the green penumbra that surrounds Laruns, Jai Hindley has won stage five of the Tour de France. And he’s taken the yellow jersey, too.
The plan had worked, everybody assumed. Starting the day 22 seconds down, all the Giro d'Italia winner had to do was sneak into the breakaway and steal time. The team had chalked out the perfect coup, the move that couldn’t fail, plotted to the most minute of details. Except it hadn’t.
When the team’s race car pulled up and sports director Rolf Aldag stepped out, the real strategy - or lack thereof - was revealed.
“To be dead honest, it wasn’t the plan to put Jai in there,” he said. “It was more of an accident, actually.”
Just 30km from the flag drop in Pau, Hindley embedded himself in a near 40-strong breakaway group that nudged its way up the road. The group thinned out over the HC Col du Soudet and into the Pyrenean valley, but the Australian kept still within it.
By the foot of the Col du Marie Blanque, around 25km from the line, Hindley was alone with AG2R Citroën’s Felix Gall, who he dropped at the summit and never saw again.
The move on the day may have been instinctive, but the groundwork had been laid months before.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Speaking after his victory, Hindley explained he had singled out stages five and six a long time ago, poring over them with his coach, and carrying out his own recon rides. “It’s been quite a long time on the road, actually,” he said. “At the start of May, I flew to the Basque country [to recon] the two stages in the Basque Country, then today’s and tomorrow’s stage.”
The Australian's preparations didn’t stop in the Pyrenees. “Then [I did] like four and a half weeks of altitude training, before and after the Dauphiné. Basically, I’ve been living like a monk for the past two months or so, and living out of a suitcase. I haven’t really seen my family or anyone else too much.”
The hard work proved critical in the end. When he went alone over the Marie Blanque on the road to Laruns, Hindley was left to rely on his knowledge of the parcours. “It was really hard to hear the radio actually all day,” he explained, “especially on the last climb with all the fans.
“I knew if I was going solo over the top, I needed to descend pretty well and get down there pretty quick. I just wanted to come to the line on my own, and I managed to do that. Pretty crazy. The guys on the radio were going off.”
The guys on the radio, it turned out, could see little of the finale. “We were so far off with the car that we didn’t even know where they were anymore,” sports director Aldag said. “He did it on his own, and he did it bravely.”
Hindley's reward would be a first Tour stage win and a pristine yellow jersey, something he never imagined in his debut at the race. Can he wear it in Paris? “I’m not here to put shoes on centipedes,” he smiled.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism, which he passed with distinction. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
-
'He goes uphill faster than we go downhill': Meeting Tadej Pogačar's parents
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Tech of the week: a new Ridley Noah Fast, a redesigned Giant Trinity TT bike, Stinner's 'affordable' steel gravel bike and Tifosi shades for smaller faces
Both the Noah Fast and the Trinity Advanced SL TT bikes will be ridden in WorldTour races this year
By Luke Friend Published
-
Rider airbags being considered as part of new safety measures from UCI
World governing body still undecided on radios, gear restrictions, regulations surrounding rim height and handlebar widths and wider rules in sprint finishes
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Changing the final Tour de France stage in Paris is an exciting prospect but I think it should be for one year only
The race's organisers were reported to be exploring the possibility of bringing the cobbled streets of Montmartre into the race’s final stage in Paris this summer
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour de France expected to remain on free-to-air TV in the UK from 2026
ITV deal runs out in 2025 after Warner Bros. Discovery signed exclusivity deal with race organiser
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour de France final stage could copy Paris Olympics road race with cobbled climb
Organiser reportedly considering adapting final stage to include three ascents of the Butte de Montmartre in Paris before the traditional Champs-Élysées finish
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Remco Evenepoel almost 'back on the rollers' after being doored by Belgian post vehicle
Multiple Olympic champion aiming to return to training on the road in February and will tentatively begin riding indoors at the weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It used to annoy me when people said 'enjoy it', now cycling is my job, I understand': Oscar Onley on his rise through the ranks
The 22-year-old talks through his beginnings as a cyclist, turning pro with Picnic PostNL and what’s next in 2025.
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'He’s at the age now where he's coming into his prime' - Where does Tadej Pogačar go next after a year of unequalled domination?
Becoming the first male rider since 1987 to complete cycling’s hallowed triple crown earns the Slovenian this year’s prize. Tom Thewlis salutes a spectacular year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Jasper Philipsen: 'All eyes will be on us at the Classics but we will be ready'
Milan-San Remo winner says Alpecin-Decuninck will be prepared to have a target on their back next year
By Tom Thewlis Published