Verona (Italy) (AFP) - Jai Hindley won the Giro d'Italia on Sunday after making his way through the final stage time-trial in Verona to claim his first Grand Tour.
Bora Hansgrohe rider Hindley put himself in an almost unassailable position when he snatched the pink jersey from Richard Carapaz on the final climb of Saturday's brutal mountain stage.
The Australian had a cushion of almost a minute and a half and rolled triumphantly into Verona's ancient Roman Arena after easily holding off his Ecuadorian rival.
Italian Matteo Sobrero took the honours on the final stage on a cool day in northeastern Italy, setting the fastest time of 22 minutes, 24.54 seconds early in the day.
"It's an amazing feeling, I still need ot recognise everything," Sobrero said.
"I'm really happy with the team, we win on the first day and we win on the last day.All the work is paying off."
Hindley banished the memory of his gutting final-stage defeat in 2020, where his weakness in time-trials cost him the overall victory at the death.
Having taken the pink jersey also in that year's the 20th stage he was pipped in the climatic time-trial in Milan by Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart.
However this year he had no such problems, his stunning display on the Passo Fedaia in the Dolomites on Saturday supplying him with enough room to relieve most of the pre-race pressure and helping him become his country's first Giro winner.
