Felix Gall and Jai Hindley finish on Giro podium: "I still can't fully believe it"

Felix Gall and Jai Hindley will most likely finish this Giro d'Italia in second and third place. With just one flat final stage remaining, the general classification seems decided. The Austrian can hardly believe his first podium finish in a Grand Tour, while for the Australian it feels like he is back.

"The fatigue after three weeks is of course very strong, especially the mental fatigue or rather the tension," the Decathlon CMA CGM team leader says, relieved and exhausted, in front of the camera of Cycling Pro Net.

Tense Gall
"Yesterday, I was quite tense before the start, but during the stage it was manageable," Gall continues. "Today was maybe a bit different. And with all those crowds around, it is always a bit dangerous. But I’m incredibly happy and very satisfied to have been able to finish like this."

But in the crowd that made Gall a little nervous, there were also many familiar faces. After all, the Austrian border was not far away and Gall could secure a podium place in a Grand Tour. "My family and friends, many familiar faces, were along the route. And generally, I kept hearing my name. That is something very special and truly amazing."

After an outstanding Giro d’Italia, the Austrian can rightfully call himself the best of the rest. And although he had been in pole position for a long time in this Giro to secure second place, Gall still cannot believe his achievement. "Not quite yet. We still have a few laps to ride through Rome tomorrow."

"And in the coming days, when I calm down a bit, I will definitely be able to really enjoy it. Or rather: I already can now, but then I will be able to truly look back on the past three weeks. And everything went really well, actually perfectly," he concludes.

New Giro success for Hindley
Hindley also feels fatigued after three weeks of racing. The Red Bull-BORA hansgrohe leader secretly hoped for second place in the final mountain stage, but his legs told him otherwise. "That was on my mind. But my legs ended up telling a different story, let's put it that way. To be honest, I was pretty tired after yesterday. And I think I wasn’t the only one; there were quite a few tired guys out there today," he says.

"There is still one day to go, but it’s really nice to be on the podium. It’s been a while since I posted a result like this in a Grand Tour. Being able to fight for a podium place again feels great. Especially after last year, when I came close. For me, the Grand Tours are the highest podium in cycling. To be competitive there, that’s ultimately why I race."

Hindley’s track record in the Giro d’Italia is becoming quite impressive. In 2020, the climber rode to second place overall for Team Sunweb behind Tao Geoghegan Hart and ahead of teammate Wilco Kelderman. Two years later, he won the first Grand Tour of the season. This year, he seems poised to add a third podium place to his list.