photo credits @ TDU
Jay Vine delivered a powerful ride today to claim victory in Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under, leading a decisive UAE Team Emirates-XRG one-two with teammate Jhonatan Narváez on the key uphill finish at Uraidla.
The result not only gives Vine the stage win but also propels him into the lead of the general classification on the first event of the WorldTour season.
With the 148.1 km stage featuring relentless rolling terrain and concluding after the punishing slopes of Corkscrew Road, Vine and Narváez made their move where it mattered most. UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled the race tempo up the climb, with Adam Yates setting a searing pace that shattered the peloton and quickly distanced the GC hopefuls. Vine then made his move along with Narváez, and the duo opened a significant gap on their rivals, with the pair staying clear to the line.
Vine crossed the finish line first with Narváez close behind, cementing the team’s dominance on one of the most selective stages early in the Tour Down Under. The gap to the next chasers was almost a minute, underscoring the strength and execution of the UAE squad on the day.
Vine: “It’s been on my mind since the last time I wore the leader’s jersey here. I really love this jersey, and it’s just so incredible to win on a really hard stage. We’re in such a strong position now with Jonny [Narváez] also up there on GC. The guys are riding really strong – it was just a really strong ride by the whole team today and I’m very thankful.We’ve also got Molano, our sprinter here, looking for wins so tomorrow we’ll be focusing on that.”
The team also leads the team classification heading into stage 3 from Henley Beach to Nairne (140.8km), which is primed to be one for the sprinters
A lead of a minute might already be enough to secure the overall for Vine and UAE. Three lumpy stages remain, including three ascents of Willunga Hill on stage four, but in this form, it already appears that the race might be gone for their rivals. UAE are simply a level above.
“Anything can happen,” Vine laughed when it was put to him that ‘you can’t lose it from here. “But yeah, it’s really good to have such a big lead compared to my last tour. It’s a lot more secure and we also got Jhonny in second now so we’ve got a very strong position.”
Visma-Lease a Bike sports director Jesper Mørkøv put it succinctly in a statement: “The UAE Team Emirates-XRG block was simply too strong today.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.
