Vine survives kangaroos crash to win Tour Down Under
Roger Vaughan |
Australian cycling star Jay Vine has survived a race crash caused by two kangaroos to win the Tour Down Under for the second time.
Despite losing two more UAE Team Emirates colleagues on Sunday’s last stage, Vine’s commanding lead was enough of a buffer. He also won the Santos Tour in 2023.
British sprint ace Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease A Bike) won the last stage.
A four-rider group, including last year’s overall runner-up Javier Romo, broke clear on the last of eight laps. But they were caught well before the finish.
Vine held onto his Tour Down Under lead the hard way, with two kangaroos causing the Australian and several other cyclists to crash during the stage.
He was among several riders to fall when the kangaroos bounded onto the course.
While Vine was able to stay in the race, he lost Danish teammate Mikkel Bjerg to injury after the incident with 95km left in the stage. At least a couple of other riders were also forced out of the Tour because of crash injuries
Colombian Juan Molano separately pulled out of the stage, leaving Vine with only two teammates, British star Adam Yates and Ivo Oliveira from Portugal.
But the Australian was the strongest rider in the race and he went into the last stage with a one minute and three seconds advantage.
Compatriot Pat Jonker is the only other Tour winner to win by more than a minute, with his 1:13 margin in 2004. Twice, the overall result has been decided on countback.
It was another day of drama at the Tour – four people, protesting against Santos as the Tour’s title sponsor, were arrested after they tried to disrupt the racing.
This was the longest stage in Tour history at 169.8km, after Saturday’s stage at Willunga was shortened from 176 to 131km because of the bushfire risk.
The eight circuits at Stirling in the Adelaide Hills were being raced in lower temperatures than Saturday’s 40-plus oven, but it was still in the 30s.
There was 529m of climbing per lap, meaning a leg-sapping 3436m for the stage.
Australians Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and Rob Stannard (Bahrain Victorious) were in a group of four that built a lead of more than three minutes, but they were never allowed too much leeway.
The remnants of the break were caught at the start of the last lap.
Plapp’s Swiss teammate Mauro Schmid started the stage at second overall and Jayco AlUla were looking at their tactics in a bid to take the lead from Vine.
But they knew it would take something massive for Vine to lose the Tour.
Fellow Australian Harry Sweeny (EF Education Easypost) held third overall at 1:12 in an impressive performance.
AAP
