“Strangling a race is terrible” – Jay Vine lashes out at rivals' negative racing after he's "marked out" of Aussie title fight

Jay Vine did not leave the 2026 Australian men’s elite road race at the National Championships quietly.

After Patrick Eddy had celebrated the biggest win of his career in Perth, Vine took to Instagram and wrote one of the most pointed post-race reactions the national championships have seen in years, accusing parts of the peloton of “strangling” the race and admitting he deliberately sacrificed his own result to make a statement.

“After it became clear I was going to be marked out of the race, a group of us tried to make a bridge, unfortunately with strong riders still wanting to sit on the move, which kept starting and stopping for about 30 mins,” Vine wrote.

In a race defined by long stalemates, hesitant chasing and tactical stand-offs between big names, Vine felt his chances were gone before the finale even took shape.

The elite men’s title was decided only after a chaotic and tactical day of racing.

An early break established itself, but the race never settled into a clean chase. Moves repeatedly formed and stalled as riders hesitated to tow dangerous names into contention. When defending champion Luke Durbridge went long from the front later in the race, the peloton again split between those willing to commit to a chase and those content to let others do the work.

Behind Durbridge, a select group containing several of the strongest riders in the country tried to organise, but cooperation was fragile. Some riders worked, others waited, and momentum regularly collapsed.

That lack of cohesion set the tone for the finale. Durbridge was only caught very late, and when the front finally came back together, it was Patrick Eddy who had the freshness and positioning to finish it off in the sprint.

Vine, though, was no longer racing for the result by then.

Vine says his turning point came when he realised he was being neutralised rather than allowed to race. “I decided I wasn’t just going to ride around the course 5 mins behind the bunch to only roll in, but instead I decided to throw a grenade into the race; and show that for future years I won’t just fill in numbers, and be a finisher,” he wrote.

Rather than sit in limbo between groups, Vine chose a far more confrontational role. “If you won’t work with me, or even let me race, then I will bring the race to you, even if it means I don’t get a result.”

For long stretches, Vine rode aggressively on the front of the peloton, effectively towing the race while burning his own chances. He admits the outcome for him was simple. “I had a good block of training on the front of the pelo, and then I rode back to the hotel.”

It was not a tactical play for the title. It was a message.

What makes Vine’s reaction unusual is that he framed it not just as personal frustration, but as a criticism of how the race was being raced. “This race is something I really respect and would love the pleasure of winning one year in the future,” he wrote. “That being said strangling a race is terrible to spectate and for all the riders involved who have travelled so far and trained so hard just to get to the start line.”

In his view, the constant marking, stalling and refusal to commit did not just hurt his own chances. It cheapened the contest itself. “So for anyone questioning why I threw my race aside and pulled for the pelo, that’s why.”

In a championship where many riders arrive with no trade-team structure and only loose alliances, negative racing is often a risk. Vine’s post turns that into a direct challenge: if riders try to neutralise him in future editions, he is prepared to make the race hard even if it costs him the jersey.

Despite the tone of his post, Vine was careful to separate his criticism of the racing from the rider who ultimately won it. “Congratulations to Patrick Eddy! Not only raced smart but in the final was super strong to finish off in 2026,” he wrote.

Eddy’s victory came from navigating exactly the kind of fractured, stop-start race Vine is criticising. While others hesitated, Eddy read the situation best and had the legs to finish it.

Vine closed by turning his focus back to his UAE Team Emirates – XRG commitments and the Tour Down Under, but the warning is clear.

He does not want to be a rider who is marked, managed and neutralised at nationals. Next time, he wants to race freely. And if he cannot, he has already told the peloton what he will do instead: bring the race to them, even if it costs him everything.