For Australia the 2022 Tour de France was a case of what might have been | Kieran Pender

After hardships and disappointments – and two bright sparks – focus turns to the Vuelta and a home world championships

It’s the hope that gets you. In an ordinary year, two remarkable stage wins at the Tour de France would be considered a successful campaign from the peloton’s Australian contingent. But given the buzz that surrounded general classification prospects, particularly after Jai Hindley became the first Australian in history to win the Giro d’Italia in May, the absence of an Australian in the top 20 as the Tour concluded on Sunday left lingering disappointment.

The buzz had focused on Ben O’Connor and Jack Haig, who both arrived in Copenhagen for the grand depart anointed as race leaders for their respective teams. O’Connor finished fourth at last year’s Tour after a stunning solo stage win catapulted him up the general classification standings; Haig impressed last year and looked in fine form during early season racing.