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.”
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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