Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Jai Hindley will support GC leader Primož Roglič at the upcoming Giro d'Italia, but says his team will need to use their numbers and "expect the unexpected" when it comes to chasing victory at the Italian Grand Tour.
Hindley, winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2022, will go to this year's race in a support role rather than as a leader, with his turn at leadership set to come at the Vuelta a España.
In May, he will ride all in for Roglič as the Slovenian chases a second Giro title.
The Tour of the Alps was set to be Hindley's final preparation race for the Giro, and a chance to go for his own result ahead of slotting into a domestique role, but he hasn't quite been at the level he wanted to be at.
"I was hoping for better legs," he told Cyclingnews earlier this week. "But it is how it is, and I think the form is not bad, but I was hoping for better for sure."
On the final day of racing, Hindley sits ninth overall, and finished second on stage 3, but is missing the win or podium finish that he had been hoping for at the start of the week.
"Yesterday [stage 4] was a tough day, also for everyone, the weather was really challenging and made it a really tough day out. Also, the way we raced was pretty aggressive, I would say. It just wasn't a great day for me, but that's how it goes," he said before stage 5.
Speaking earlier in the week, Hindley was keen to make the most of a stage race where he was the protected rider.
"Every race you get is an opportunity, but we have such a strong team now, so to go to a race as sole leader, you really have to make the most of the opportunity when it comes around."
Despite those opportunities being rarer for Hindley, especially since the arrival of Roglič, he was positive about the two-pronged approach Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe can take in the biggest races.
"It's cool. I think in general in modern cycling, you go to a lot of races with multiple leaders, and I think that's a better way to play it for teams, to have numbers in the final if you can," he said. "It definitely helps everyone."
There have been some suggestions, including from within his own team, that Hindley could also be a plan B for GC in Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Giro bid, not just another number in the final. The Australian denied any possibility of being co-leader, but kept an open mind about how even the best-laid plans can change in a Grand Tour.
"Normally, Primož is the main leader," he said. "Primož is the main guy for the Giro, so we'll see. But it's a long race, and you have to always expect the unexpected, but for sure he's the main guy for our team."
Whatever role Hindley finds himself in at the Giro, it's clear that there is room to improve form-wise before then, though the Australian isn't concerned about where he is after a long block of altitude training.
"From my previous experience, it always takes a while to get it going and to find the race feel again. In general, I'm feeling okay, but I think hopefully it gets better for the Giro," he said.
"[After this race] I'll just chill out and take some easy days. It's been a really tough week here, every day with some hard climbs and tough racing, so I think it was good to get this in the legs. Hopefully I can rest a bit and come on the up for the Giro."
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