Jay Vine placed second in the second stage of the Tour Down Under, coming in behind the stage winner Rohan Dennis, and helping to maintain his team's aspirations for the general classification.
Vine meticulously examined the course for today's stage and assessed his chances, which were favourable due to the presence of climbs that provided an advantage for the Australian rider. “We saw that climb in the briefing and knew that with the wind, there would be a chance we could make it. The names that were with us were also the guys we expected,” he said after the race.
Michael Matthews had a mechanical problem, and Simon Yates, his teammate, tried to slow down the leading group to buy some time for Matthews but the attempt was unsuccessful.
“We had also factored that in somewhat. The four of us kind of accepted that he was in the wheel, so the collaboration was really good. And that was an advantage for all four,” explains Vine.
Though he faced his fair share of difficulties, he takes pride in his performance and eagerly awaits the next stage of the competition. He holds a second place in the general classification. “It felt really cool to really go into the race with an idea and then let the race explode like that. It was really cool to drive into the harbor like that. There's just three more tough days coming up, so it's only going to get tougher in this Tour Down Under,” concluded Vine.
💬 “We worked really cohesively until the finish and had mutual benefit and giving our all. It’s pretty cool to go in with a team plan to make the race like we did.” @JayVine3 rides his way onto podium at #TourDownUnder 🇦🇺. 📝uaeteamemirates.com/jay-vine-rides… #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
