Jai Hindley enjoyed a breakout 2016 season for the Australian U23 national team in Europe with the 20-year-old performing consistently from February through to August. While Hindley spent the majority of the season with the national team, he was also on the books of the Attaque Gusto Continental team with whom he rode the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the Herald Sun Tour, finishing 18th overall.
In 2015, Hindley rode two National Road Series (NRS) events in the early season before he jetted over to Europe for a six-month stint of racing with the Italian U23 team Aran Cucine. The Abruzzi-based team had a steady diet of one-day races within Italy and proved to be a good first stepping stone for Hindley. However, Hindley was keen to "step it up" in 2016.
At the end 2015, Australian U23 national team manager James Victor got in touch in Hindley and let him know about Attaque Gusto as a possible team for 2016. Hindley then made contact with team owner Peter Shandon, who "was keen to have me on board", and a contract was finalised with a clause inserted that would allow him to ride with the national team should he be selected.
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Hindley's Sun Tour result ensured he had a place on the Australian U23 national team for the season. Once in Europe, Hindley had top-ten results in three of his first six races but it was at the UCI 2.2 An Post Ras where he finished second overall that his season really kicked into gear. Victory at the GP Capodarco, ahead of Lampre-Merida bound Edward Ravasi, followed in June with fifth place at the Tour de l'Avenir capping off his first full year of European U23 racing.
"Winning Capodarco for sure," Hindley told Cyclingnews of what his favourite result was in 2016. "I was pretty happy with the GC result at l'Avenir as well but because I did Capodarco as a first year with the Aran Cucine Italian team, it was like the biggest race of the year for them, so to go back with the Australian team this year was huge for me. I was really, really over the moon.
"It has to be one of my favourite races and having done it last year, I knew the course pretty well so it was awesome," added Hindley who was 26th at the race in 2015. "With the national team, it is full of good riders so the support was really good as well."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/jai-hindley-emerges-from-promising-season-as-a-u23-rider-to-watch-in-2017
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