Aussie Jay Vine forced to abandon the Vuelta as UAE continues to struggle after losing Pogačar

UAE Emirates-XRG and Tudor had to withdraw a rider during Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España. After losing team leader Tadej Pogačar and top prospect Pablo Torres, the Emirati team has now also lost Jay Vine as a lead-out man. For Tudor, the heat in Stage 12 proved too much for Arthur Kluckers, who withdrew due to heatstroke.

UAE Emirates-XRG had everything under control in the Tour of Spain. The team won three stages with Pogačar, who was also the unchallenged leader in the general classification. However, while wearing the red jersey, everything went wrong in the eighth stage. Pogačar crashed after hitting a rock on the road, went over his handlebars, and suffered multiple fractures.

Pogačar withdrew from the Vuelta and underwent surgery in Barcelona for a broken collarbone. He is also dealing with a fractured cervical vertebra and a concussion. UAE was deeply affected by the loss of its team leader, but on the day of the crash, it was already announced that the rest of the team would be aiming for stage victories.

Although Pavel Sivakov made it quite far in the ninth stage, UAE failed to make its mark on the stages that followed. Vine was undoubtedly one of the new team leaders, given that he had already won the mountain jersey twice in La Vuelta in the past. He had also won several stages.

That won’t happen this year. Vine rode anonymously during the first week and called it quits in Stage 12. “Jay hadn’t been feeling well for several days,” the UAE team wrote via its official channels.

It’s a setback for the Vuelta, but also for the Australian’s World Championship aspirations; he hopes to compete for the world title at the World Time Trial Championships in Canada later this month.

Tudor also lost a rider in Stage 12: Arthur Kluckers. The Luxembourger was overcome by the heat and couldn’t continue. “Arthur underwent tests by the medical staff, and the results were encouraging,” said the Swiss team. “Arrangements have already been made for him to return home soon. We wish him a speedy recovery.”