"We'll see how it goes, and we'll fight for the jersey” - Marc Soler & Jay Vine set for UAE Team Emirates civil war as race for polka-dots at La Vuelta 2024 concludes

With just two stages to go at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, the fight for the polka-dot jersey and the title of King of the Mountains looks set for a two-horse race between UAE Team Emirates duo Marc Soler and Jay Vine.

“We rode easy. In the end, we wanted to put a man in the breakaway just in case there was a chance that he could make it, but Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe controlled it," reflected the classification leader Soler in his post-stage 19 interview, won by Primoz Roglic, with the Slovenian gaining a potentially decisive advantage in the fight for the Red Jersey.

Going into the final mountain stage, Soler sits atop the King of the Mountains classification with 57, whilst Vine is just one point behind on 56. As something of an inadvertent bonus to Soler's polka-dot hopes, Vine actually suffered a crash on stage 19, spending considerable time at the medical car afterwards, although the Aussie did eventually finish the stage.

"Now we have to think about tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is an important day both for me and Jay Vine. Let's see how he is after today's crash," concludes the Spaniard. "We'll see how it goes, and we'll fight for the jersey.”

King of the Mountains standings after stage 19 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana: