‘Game theory’: Vine out to crack road nationals code

Roger Vaughan | January 10, 2026

The form is undeniable – now Jay Vine has to work out how to play the numbers at the Australian road cycling championships.

Vine’s convincing win in the time trial on Thursday at the Westbridge Funds nationals confirmed he has come to Perth in excellent shape.

But given he is the only UAE Team Emirates rider in the field for Sunday’s road race around Kings Park – and the Jayco AlUla team as always will be the dominant force – good legs alone won’t cut it.

“Obviously Sunday is really important for me, but without a team it’s more challenging,” Vine said.

“We have a good group of support behind me to try and ‘game theory’ our way to a possible medal in this road race.”

He was unhappy with his results last year – second to Luke Plapp in the time trial, sixth in the Australian championships road race, and only 11th overall at Adelaide’s Tour Down Under.

It was an OK start to the season, but not good enough for Vine.

“Last year I turned up in relatively OK shape and it was just not good enough,” he said.

“So to get world-class victories you have to be world-class, funnily enough.

“I didn’t want to leave anything on the table.”

Rather than come to Australia for his pre-season training late last year, Vine stayed at home in Andorra.

Then the weather played up, forcing Vine to rack up the car kilometres as he tried to avoid snow on his training rides.

“I drove up and down the mountain in Andorra more times than I can count,” he said.

“My son hopped in the back of the car to go up and down the mountain too many times – it decided to snow all of a sudden in November for the first time in six or seven years.

“Staying in Europe was challenging, but in my own environment was really good compared to last year when I came back to Australia and lived out of a suitcase for two months.

“It was definitely worthwhile doing the investment and staying in the cold, but I’m really happy with where I’m at.”

It’s a world away from nearly two years ago, when Vine feared he might die after an early-season race crash in Spain.

He suffered multiple fractured vertebrae and a fractured skull in the April crash, but the Australian Grand Tour star was back racing by August.

Now he and wife Bre are expecting their second child.

“She has two people to look after – one outside and one inside,” he said.

Sunday’s road races will feature strong fields, with the women racing ahead of the men around the Kings Park circuit.

The top women showcased their form in Friday night’s criterium championship, won by Liv AlUla Jayco rider Ruby Roseman-Gannon.

Her teammate Josie Talbot also featured in the decisive five-rider break, along with Amanda Spratt, Alex Manly and Neve Bradbury – all contenders on Sunday.

One of the key questions for the men is Plapp’s form.

After winning the previous two national time-trial crowns, the Jayco AlUla star was well off his best form on Thursday and only managed eighth behind Vine.

There has been no word since from the team about what went wrong for Plapp, and what shape he will be in for Sunday’s big event.

Plapp last year selflessly rode for teammate Luke Durbridge, who was a popular local winner.

On Saturday, Jackson Medway was an emphatic winner of the men’s under-23 road race over 136km in hot conditions at Kings Park.

The Tudor Pro under-23 rider broke away on the last of 10 laps and finished 53 seconds clear, with Noah Blannin outsprinting Dylan Proctor-Parker for the silver medal.

“It’s the first time I’ve actually been patient in a race and it paid off,” Medway told SBS.

Earlier on Saturday, Benjamin Coates and Neve Parslow won the under-19 road races.