š„ Bizarre scenes in Australia as kangaroo causes crash involving Tour Down Under leader Jay Vine
CyclingSunday, 25 January 2026 at 09:32
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Follow us on GoogleThe 2026 cycling season has only just begun, but we have already witnessed one of the most bizarre moments. At the Tour Down Under, a kangaroo jumped into the peloton, causing several riders to crash. Classification leader Jay Vine was one of them, but unlike his teammate Mikkel Bjerg, the Aussie was able to finish the race.
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Halfway through the race, helicopter footage showed several riders lying on the ground, and the cause was soon clear as the kangaroo was still visible jumping around. Hopefully, the animal will get off relatively lightly, just like Bjerg and others.
The day before, leader Vine had already seen Jhonatan NarvĆ”ez and Vegard Stake Laengen drop out with injuries, and after Bjerg's withdrawal, he had only two teammates left. āWe had more and more bad luck as the race progressed,ā sighed the Aussie. "We knew it was going to be difficult, but jesus... The saying āit ain't over till it's overā has proven itself once again.ā
āPeople always ask me what the most dangerous thing in Australia is, and I always say kangaroos,ā Vine sighed. āThey hide in the bushes and then suddenly they're in front of you. Point proven today. Two kangaroos jumped into the peloton and I think we were riding at 50 km/h. One of them stopped, went right, left, and I couldn't avoid him. Fortunately, I'm okay, but I'm also thinking about Mikkel."
In the end, he did cross the finish line as the overall winner in the stage won by Matthew Brennan on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike. āAdam Yates was crucial in the last part of the stage, he was perfect. Everyone who was left today did a fantastic job. I am incredibly grateful and proud to be part of this team.ā
Video: kangaroo causes crash in Tour Down Under peloton
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Jorgenson looked poorly mid-race and still animated the third week ā if Visma donāt give him real freedom at the Vuelta, whatās the point? Also, is Riccitello really behind Seixas on Decathlonās depth chart or is that just French media hype? Porque si Riccitello tiene la oportunidad, puede ganar una etapa, fĆ”cil.jennifer1927-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the āpressure got to Kussā angle. Heās won at La Vuelta, at the Giro this year, and on big alpine days before. Those were slippery roads and he was pushing the limits. Thatās bike racing, not nerves.lindae27-07-2026
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- - Quick question: why doesnāt the team time trial count as ending the drought? If Kuss rode it and Visma won, isnāt that still an American winning a Tour stage?gearguru3327-07-2026
- - Brutal for Kuss on Alpe dāHuez. He had the legs, the gap, then two slips in quick successionā¦ you could see the switch flip when Carapaz came past. āWell and aliveā is peak Sepp, but that one will sting all winter.pedalpowe2927-07-2026
- - This article leans a touch too much into Pluggeās framing. Whereās the ITAās explanation on why those specific hours? Without that, it reads like Visma PR. Still, good reporting on the AIGCP angle.lindae27-07-2026
- - Totally agree that the optics are bad, but come onāanti-doping is supposed to be intrusive. PogaÄar at 5 a.m. and Vinge at 2 a.m. is messy, yet Iād rather see over-testing than another FestinaJust standardise the timing window, UCI/ITA.samanthak27-07-2026
- - Iām a bit confusedāif the ITA told Visma it wasnāt suspicion-based, why did a judge need to approve it? Does that mean there actually was āserious and consistent suspicion,ā or is that just legal procedure in France?cadencekingm27-07-2026
- - Great piece. Pluggeās point about consistency is spot onāeither test the whole GC top 10 the same night or donāt do night tests at all. Waking Jonas at 2 a.m. before Solaison feels like it could actually impact performance.cyclechamp4527-07-2026
- - QuƩ final, mon dieu! Van der Poel incroyable, pero tambiƩn Pogacar con sonrisa de amarillo. Two giants making history.lindae27-07-2026
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