Jai Hindley is the first rider officially entered in the start list for the upcoming Santos Tour Down Under 2027. The Australian rider will return to his home roads to attempt to win a race he has never conquered and will be accompanied by New Zealander Laurence Pithie. The duo from Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe will have all the credentials to make an immediate impact in the short stage race that will take place in 70 days, from January 19-24, opening the World Tour calendar. Hindley's last appearance at the TDU was in 2023, when he finished 16th in the general classification.

HINDLEY AND PITHIE EXPECTED AT THE START

Hindley's presence was made official through a post on the race's official social media channels and is accompanied by a statement from race director Stuart O'Grady: "We are thrilled to welcome Jai back to the Santos Tour Down Under, [...] he holds a prominent place in the history of Australian cycling, being a Grand Tour winner; at 30 years old he is in his prime competitive years, which means we will see the best of him. The course perfectly suits his characteristics: he is a complete rider, capable of competing in the mountains with the best in the group". From O'Grady's statements, we can also discover the second rider already officially expected at the start of the competition: "I am confident that Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will field a competitive lineup once again for the opening of the UCI WorldTour season; the presence of Jai, together with that of New Zealander Laurence Pithie, adds considerable value to the group of participants".

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Hindley's best result at the Tour Down Under is a 16th place finish in 2023, while he finished 18th in the 2019 and 2020 editions; he currently has no stage wins to his name. Last year, Pithie secured two third-place finishes in the prologue and penultimate stage and also achieved three top-5 results in 2024. The presence of 2026 winner Jay Vine and the possible participation of world number one Tadej Pogacar, who could aim to win a race that is still missing from his palmares, has yet to be confirmed. In 2027, the final race days of January 22-23-24 will also see the women's competition taking place on the same courses.