Jay Vine snatched the race lead of the
Tour Down Under yesterday in Campbelltown, but he didn't get to have a more relaxed day at today's flat stage in the McLaren Vale, because of the strong winds.
"It was very stressful. There was one point where I thought it would be an easy day, where I could wave to the fans on the sidelines. After forty or fifty kilometers things changed, from that moment on it was race to the finish," Vine told reporters at the finish.
The
UAE Team Emirates rider was handed the task of resisting the many attempts to form echelons throughout the day, safeguarding his newly-acquired lead from the likes of Pello Bilbao and Simon Yates.
"A really hard day, so I burned more calories than I planned. What a great team. There were six men in the front, all of whom helped me. The communication from the car was also perfect," he thanks his team. "It means a lot to me because it's only my first race with the team and we're all doing this together now. That just shows how much it's about having a team."
A successful day, Vine has put behind the worries about the wind, reaching the finish line in the peloton. He sets off for the final mountain stage at Mount Lofty with 15 seconds over both Pello Bilbao and Simon Yates.
“There were again a lot of crashes, which made it hectic. With that wind it was also tacking from left to right. I'm not thinking about winning yet, we have to survive that final day first. We have a good team, so I'm looking forward to it," he concluded.
