With lower than a month to go till the beginning of the Tour de France, Jai Hindley and Primož Roglič have began simply their second stage race and fourth race day collectively as Bora-Hansgrohe teammates on stage 1 of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
The Australian Giro winner is resulting from settle in as the important thing tremendous domestique come the Grand Départ in Florence for Roglič after the Slovenian transferred final summer season from Jumbo-Visma throughout to the German outfit.
Nevertheless, the shortage of expertise collectively has made the pre-Tour, form-marking Dauphiné much more essential for constructing each chemistry in races and making certain all of the work accomplished in preparation hasn’t been in useless.
“I haven’t accomplished so many races with him however we simply spent like three weeks on the mountain so it was fairly cosy,” Hindley advised Cyclingnews earlier than stage 1 in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule. “However he’s an excellent man and I feel he’s good to work with.
“It’s large [for building chemistry]. It’s form of like the ultimate gown rehearsal. Should you’re good right here then usually you’ll be good on the Tour and hopefully, we’re good.”
The ever-elusive Roglič had barely stopped his bike to answer the scrum of reporters ready for him earlier than he was jetting off again to the staff bus within the spitting rain, targeted on the undulating opening dash stage.
Nevertheless it’s the mountains the place he, Hindley and team-mate Aleksandr Vlasov will come into their very own and present what kind they’re in forward of the Tour.
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The trio current a formidable GC outfit ready to tackle the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) on the Tour, with Roglič’s palmarès talking for itself as a four-time Grand Tour winner, alongside Hindley the 2022 Giro champion and Vlasov a former fifth-place finisher on the Tour.
So it was no shock to see the Australian’s confidence heading into the robust eight-day stage race the place the 4 opening phases ought to current the right amuse-bouche to the 34.3km stage 4 time trial.
All of which leads as much as the brutally backloaded parcours on phases 6, 7 and eight. All of them function summit finishes, two of that are up hors catégorie climbs. Lately are the place the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné will definitely be determined.
“We need to attempt to win,” Hindley mentioned bluntly to the expectations of Bora’s sturdy squad for the week, which seems to be much like their provisional roster for the Tour de France.
The versatile work of Marco Haller, Nico Denz, Matteo Sobrero and Bob Jungels will likely be employed earlier than the climbers take over on the Collet d’Allevard (11.2km at 8.1%), Samoëns 1600 (10km at 9.3%) and Plateau des Glières (9.4km at 7.1%) summit finishes on the finish of subsequent week.
Dealing with up towards the likes of Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Juan Ayuso (UAE Tea Emirates) and presumably Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Fast-Step), Hindley believes Bora-Hansgrohe’s multi-leader technique will solely be an excellent factor regardless of Roglič being the main focus of the staff.
The Slovenian’s arrival at Bora marked a change of function for Hindley who was their sole chief on the Tour final yr and gained a stage, wore the yellow jersey and completed seventh general regardless of a troublesome crash within the second week.
“It takes the stress off loads,” mentioned Hindley of his reworked function within the staff. “However I additionally assume having a number of choices with a number of guys there’s additionally good for the staff.”
Hindley and Roglič are contemporary off the again of constructing their relationship at a protracted altitude camp in Sierra Nevada with many of the Tour staff, leaving the Australian glad with the place his kind was at 27 days earlier than the Tour.
“Not too shabby, it was a fairly stable camp,” Hindley mentioned of his kind heading into the Dauphiné the place he was fourth final yr earlier than making a stable debut on the Tour. “Additionally it was like 3 weeks so I feel we laid down some good foundations for the subsequent couple of months.”
Whether or not it’s Hindley, Roglič or Vlasov, the German staff are aiming excessive for the approaching Tour with the incoming possession and sponsorship from Pink Bull all a part of staff boss Ralph Denk’s plan to change into biking’s latest tremendous staff.
