I'm not gonna say Hindley doesn't deserve this. That would be too harsh. If they put Fedaia first, followed up by Pordoi and Carapaz loses 2 minutes it's more defining. So partly Vegni is the one to blame too
BUT
It wasn't even his own attack, but Kämna working hard that blowed Carapaz. I've seen Levi Leipheimer doing more attacks than Hindley. And the American wasn't really well liked as a rider.
This really was Bardet's golden chance to win a GT. Too bad he fell ill. But things like these happen.
Almeida absolutely deserved to win this Giro d'Italia. Even if it would have been lame like 2002 Savoldelli. If not for Covid-19, they really would've needed to show something in order to distance the Portuguese before the final TT.
Hindley now was the best of the rest. Maybe he gets a bit too much negativety based on how disappointing this stage has been. That's unfair. Especially since like I said, reverse cols and it's a very dominant display.
Hindley saved his cartridges & opened fire today. It was deliberate. Bardet would have been nuked along with the rest as well.
It's also not about attacking like a mad dog (Guillaume Martin style), it's about making those attacks stick. That was a Slovenian watts output from Hindley today, no doubt, & it'll always smash the opposition when distilled at the right moment.
Carapaz did make a mistake in following the initial attack (as he did with Pogacar in Le Grand-Bornand stage of last year's Tour), but his collapse afterwards was as much physical as it was psychological. That was Hindley's huge success today. Physical achievement combined with the destruction of Carapaz's morale.
Anyway I'm still buzzing. It's always a special moment when young riders who we've been following for a few years fullfill their potential. Both Hindley & Lennard Kämna as well fulfilled their promise in this Giro in spectacular style IMO.