"I’m so sick of this" - Stomach issues take Jay Vine out of contention for Tour of Turkey

Jay Vine entered the Tour of Turkey as the main favourite and leader of Tour of Turkey. He hoped to conclude a difficult season on a high note but that did not prove to be the case, as Vine struggled with stomach issues once again.

Stage 3... I saw that going differently in my mind... All was going really well, the boys helped keep me safe, I made the front group and I was feeling good, that is until my stomach very quickly managed to liquify everything," Vine wrote in an Instagram post. "I started pedaling squares and all I could do was just crawl up the mountain, then try and get back to the team bus as quickly as possible..." Domen Novak was working for Vine for the first third of the climb as the group split, but the Australian was then dropped, and ended up losing over 12 minutes on the day.

Read also

"Five years ago I finished second in the Tour of Turkey, I hope to win the final classification this year" - Alexey Lutsenko takes control of GC after victory on Queen Stage

After winning the Tour Down Under, a perfect start to 2023, the Australian found himself in tricky waters, failing to find consistency throughout the season. That continued this week in Turkey. "Safe to say that cable-cart ride back down the mountain was not pleasant. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m feeling pretty embarrassed, annoyed, and just angry. If I knew that was going to happen I would have ridden for one of the boys," he says.

He still has the chance to take a stage win in Turkey, however he is already looking forward to next season and leaving these past few months behind. "When is it socially acceptable to be walking around with a rabbit foot, a 4 leaf clover, and a horseshoe? Asking for a friend. Because I’m so sick of this. Going to see how dinner goes, obviously just something isn’t sitting right, and take it from there. Sorry folks, this season is just cursed."

Read also

"I am going to target a lot more the week-long stage races" - Chris Froome wants to deserve his spot on Tour de France in 2024

"It's great to see that they're supporting him" - Chris Froome praises Astana Qazaqstan Team as Mark Cavendish returns for one final year