"It’s unclear at the moment what the team’s plan is" - Jay Vine opens up on lack of cohesion at UAE Team Emirates and João Almeida plans

On the eve of the first day in the Alps for the Giro d'Italia, what had seemed apparent within the last few weeks within UAE Team Emirates has been discussed, with Jay Vine discussing his and João Almeida's goals.

“It’s unclear at the moment what the team’s plan is. I keep getting told that I can ride for a top 10 but that’s not interesting for me personally," Vine told Eurosport after the end of stage 12. "In an ideal world, my goal would be to lose 45 minutes and then be able to target some stages."

The Australian had came into the Giro looking to test himself. His chances of fighting for a high GC sport evaporated on stage 10 and he froze down the brutal day, and now sits 36th in GC, over 24 minutes down on Geraint Thomas. Apparently however the team continues to hold to the idea of him finishing in the Top10.

UAE has had cohesion problems in recent years, mostly as the team puts a lot of emphasis in UCI points and reaching the end of the season in first place, which has led to at times questionable tactics, in order to favour this. It seems as if this was the case entering the Giro, with João Almeida claiming to be the sole leader, Vine given a free card to ride his own race, Brandon McNulty losing minutes on several days and chasing breakaways, whilst the rest of the team frequently races into breakaways but has supported Pascal Ackermann into a stage win.

“The other part is looking after Joao and getting him on the podium or the win is more important than a stage win for me. Whichever way the team decides, I’m happy," the Australian continues.

Vine, a two-time stage winner at the Vuelta a Espana last year, has incredible climbing talent and plenty opportunities to succeed over the coming weeks. His role within the team is still rather uncertain however it is shown, with his own personal ambitions colliding with Almeida's who's currently only 22 seconds away from the pink jersey.,

“There is no interest for me because it has no monetary value at all. I’ve signed for four years and part of the negotiations was ‘top 10s are meaningless’," Vine reveals, admitting he does not want to chase a GC result after a few tough days.

"So I don’t care. It might be great for the team, for social media, but wins or podiums [are what matters]… Apart from that, I’m happy to help João but I personally don’t care," he concludes.