"This is for you Harrison!" - Jay Vine stars in front of wife and son to take solo Vuelta stage win in Andorra

Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) delivered a career-defining performance on Stage 6 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, riding clear of the breakaway on the descent of the Alto de la Comella and holding his advantage on the climb to Pal for a solo victory in Andorra.

The 29-year-old Australian not only claimed the stage but also moved into the King of the Mountains jersey, on a day when his team’s general classification challenge faltered badly, with Juan Ayuso tumbling out of contention.

For Vine, though, the story was all about seizing opportunity and making his local knowledge count. “It [the plan] was definitely to win the stage, but there was always the option that if the break wasn’t going to win I could come back and do some work,” Vine explained at the finish. “It was always on the cards to have me in the break as an option to do something if everything came back together.”

The decisive move came on familiar roads. Vine, who is based in Andorra, used the Alto de la Comella as his launchpad. “I know these roads pretty well, I’m from just down the hill, Comella is my favourite climb in all of Andorra,” he said. “I would normally have liked to have done it way harder, but with the headwind it was hard to get the guys to pull through and make it really hard. I decided to go at the top and with the wet descent, I know it really well, and I thought this was my chance to go away and then there would be no funny business. Mano a mano.”

The breakaway had formed early on the Collada de Sentigosa, where Vine showed his intent by cresting first, and the day evolved in his favour as Team Visma | Lease a Bike managed the peloton behind. The Australian made his experience of the Andorran terrain count, building a lead of nearly a minute over the chasers by the base of the final climb, Alto de Pal.

From there, he never looked back, riding to a victory that carried deep personal resonance. “It’s pretty incredible,” Vine said, reflecting on the finish. “I got the call up to do this race about four weeks ago, it wasn’t on my schedule originally. To be able to win in Andorra, in front of my son with my wife, it’s unbelievable. It’s incredibly motivating, for the last 5km, this is for you Harrison.”

The win was a reminder of Vine’s quality as both a climber and a breakaway specialist, while also offering a rare moment of celebration for UAE Team Emirates – XRG on a day overshadowed by Ayuso’s implosion. Vine’s victory not only secured the stage but also the polka dot jersey, ensuring his presence on the podium for days to come.

For the Australian, the significance went beyond jerseys or statistics. This was about delivering on home roads, in front of his family, in a Grand Tour he hadn’t even expected to ride.