"This feels like redemption" - Jay Vine best of the rest behind Evenepoel to claim Kigali Worlds TT silver

Jay Vine delivered one of the rides of his life at the World Championships in Kigali, powering to silver in the men’s elite time trial behind an untouchable Remco Evenepoel. The Australian paced his effort to perfection on the hilly, cobbled course, coming home ahead of Ilan van Wilder to secure his first individual medal at the Worlds.

For Vine, the performance carried extra meaning after the disappointment of 2024, when he was on track for a medal but faded late. “Last year I was on track for a medal and wasn’t able to bring it home, so this feels like redemption,” he said in a post-race interview with Cycling Pro Net. “After seeing the course 12 months ago, I knew this was my chance to deliver a good ride. It wasn’t the preparation we’d originally planned, with the Vuelta suddenly thrown in about four weeks before, but it still worked out. I don’t think I could have delivered a better ride today.”

While some rivals prepared exclusively for the Worlds TT, Vine came in off the back of three hard weeks at the Vuelta a Espana. Yet the race seemed to sharpen him rather than leave him fatigued. “This time I finished the Vuelta in better condition — I wasn’t completely empty. I just kept the motor running, came here, had a couple of easier days and a recon, and was able to deliver a strong ride. I’m really proud of how I rode today.”

His pacing strategy proved decisive on the brutal Rwandan course. “Originally we thought the best approach was to go out hard and then hang on over the last 10 kilometres and the final two climbs,” Vine explained. “But after reconning yesterday, we changed the plan. The second-last climb was steeper than expected, and on the cobbles you could lose 20 seconds easily if you didn’t put the power down. So the focus was on conserving early and then emptying myself in the final climbs and on the cobbles. I don’t really listen to intermediate times anyway — I just try to execute my own plan.”

The result left the UAE Team Emirates rider dreaming of more. “The time trial is my favourite discipline. I really hope there’s a rainbow jersey in my future. To stand on the podium with the rainbows and hear the national anthem would be an absolute dream.”