Jai Hindley makes surprise Madonna del Ghisallo pilgrimage, donates pink jersey
Jai Hindley makes surprise Madonna del Ghisallo pilgrimage, donates pink jersey
Nobody recognized Jai Hindley at first, as he bought a pair of tickets and wandered the dim rooms of the Madonna dei Ciclisti museum, its walls hung with medals and jerseys and images of great cyclists past and present. The Madonna del Ghisallo, above the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, contains a shrine to the patroness of cyclists, this museum, and now one of Hindley’s pink jerseys.
As told by Tuttobici, the story took place on a recent morning as Hindley and his partner took a holiday in the region, unwinding from a stressful three weeks. The climb up to Madonna del Ghisallo, frequently used in Lombardia and the Giro, has become a pilgrimage of sorts, and Hindley took it just like so many others. He toured the museum, took his time. Then he stepped outside and returned with his own maglia rosa, adorned with the name of his team, Bora-Hansgrohe.
The museum’s director, Carola Gentilini, suddenly realized who was standing in front of her.
“I was impressed by the wall that houses all the pink jerseys and so I thought I’d bring mine too,” Hindley said.
He handed off his maglia rosa, bringing the museum’s collection up to a total of 64. He purchased a book containing the full collection of the museum. And as a favor, he quickly chatted on the phone with the museum’s longtime director, Antonio Molteni, who has worked tirelessly to bring reopen the museum after COVID restrictions lifted.
We like a Grand Tour champion who appreciates history.
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