Jay Vine: "It’s clear the team hasn’t just signed me to be a domestique"

Jay Vine has one of the most unique stories in the peloton and is the face of an ever-evolving scouting system that is currently under place at the very top of cycling. He gives some background on his ways around his early cyclist years and his transfer to UAE Team Emirates.

“It’s absurd to me that there’s still this thing, that it has to be done in the correct competition: the watts are the watts," Vine told Cyclingnews. "Without COVID, I may have not got the opportunity," he says, having turned professional in 2020.

Vine explained how he decided to give it his all into the dream of becoming a pro cyclist. In 2020 he signed with the Australian Nero Continental and was riding around the Australian circuit. After several years of his and his partner Bre's effort, the Zwift Academy event was the breakthrough he needed.

“I didn’t really have a plan, it was more that if I hadn’t started earning a cheque by a certain point, I was going to have to throw in the towel,” Vine says. “I think that was going to be the end of 2021 at the absolute latest, and that was only if 2020 had gone really well but didn’t have quite the impact we were after.”

“I said, ‘That’s my contract: I’m one of the best climbers in Australia, and I probably am the best climber in Australia who hasn’t already been signed by a WorldTour team. I prepared fully, there was nothing else to do." Eventually, Vine won the event, showing his capacity as a rider, and earned a contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck.

In 2021 he was in the pro peloton, racing alongside the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier. It was a big step that took time to pay off, but the Belgian Pro Team would benefit from the move in 2022.

Vine impressed throughout the season but it was at the Vuelta a Espana where he had another breakthrough. With almost two years of racing in Europe under the belt, he had developed the necessary skills to ride in the peloton, and put them to good use in Spain.

He abandoned the race in the final week, but that wasn't before he net two stage wins and wore the KOM jersey until his last moments in the race. “I was annoyed because I wanted to win another stage,” he admitted. “But the positive thing about losing the jersey is that I’ll learn how to live with it.”

Vine directly beat the likes of Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas in the opening summit finish to San Miguel de Aguayo. His climbing capacity was more than evident, and it saw UAE Team Emirates further push to sign the Australian. A transfer in which he's signed an NDA, Vine is now racing alongside the likes of Tadej Pogacar.

Vine has already made his debut winning in team colours, grabbing the Australian time-trial national championships. He'll be eyeing the Giro d'Italia soon alongside João Almeida, but he may not have a domestique role. “It’s clear the team hasn’t just signed me to be a domestique,” Vine hints. “It’s going to be exciting.”