"I will not be at the Tour de France" - Jay Vine unlikely to team up with Pogacar in France, instead returning to Vuelta a Espana

Jay Vine had for several months been rumoured to be joining UAE Team Emirates, but the transfer was only recently announced. Whilst his goals will be clearer later in the season, one thing that seems certain is that the Australian will not be at the Tour de France.

“This was all happening before the Vuelta. Yes, I was approached by people after my Vuelta win, but nothing came of it, because this was already in the works," he told RIDE Media, revealing what he meant by his statement that seemed to deny he was in contact with teams - days after his signing was revealed. 

Sure enough, UAE bought Vine's two years of remaining contract and brough him over, alongside other climbers such as Adam Yates, Feelix Grossschartner and Domen Novak who will be further reinforcing the team's mountain block.

“It’s mixed feelings. There was no bad blood and no bad feelings," he says of his departure from the Belgian team who will be racing at World Tour level next year. "It was a known fact in the peloton that I was leaving, and we were all-in for Tim Merlier. The team environment had been fantastic until the end of the Vuelta. It’s a shame, but I am looking forward to a new start.”

“I can guarantee I will not be at the Tour de France,” he continued. “There’s room for another grand tour, but in December it will get ironed out. I am really looking forward to it.” All signals point towards his presence at the Vuelta a Espana, where he has won two stages this year, and was leading the KOM classification until he crashed out in the final week. A pure climber, UAE believes he can be turned into a stage-racer in the future.

“We think that he can also go for GC in the future,” team manager Mauro Gianetti said. “We need to work with him on his time trialing because with the numbers that he has he can for sure do a better time trial. We’ll invest time and energy helping him improve his position because he can be a complete rider.”