Disaster year for Jay Vine continues as Australian sees time trial dream slip away at World Championships

Vine would certainly have been in contention for selection, but during the Vuelta a España he fell ill just like several of his UAE teammates. The illness apparently had such a significant impact on his body that Vine will not be able to compete in Montréal in two weeks’ time. It is a race where he had hoped to fight for medals in the individual time trial.

The World Championship withdrawal is a fitting continuation of Vine’s season, with the Australian having faced one setback after another. Although he won the Tour Down Under, he did so with a broken wrist after colliding with a kangaroo. His recovery took a long time and, once he returned to racing, crashes forced him out of both the Tour of Catalonia and the Giro d’Italia.

After a summer full of training, he returned to Spain, where he prepared for the Vuelta a España. However, Vine crashed again at the Tour of Burgos. Despite that setback, he still started the Vuelta as a support rider for Tadej Pogacar. Shortly after the Slovenian was forced to abandon the race due to a crash, Vine also had to leave the race because of illness. At UAE, Pablo Torres and Pavel Sivakov were among the other riders affected by illness during the Grand Tour.

Despite Vine’s absence, Australia still has a rock-solid lineup on paper. Michael Matthews, Ben O'Connor, Jai Hindley, Jack Haig, Michael Storer and Luke Tuckwell will aim for a strong result in the road race. Conor Leahy, who currently races at continental level, will replace Vine in the individual time trial.

National coach Conor Taylor is extremely disappointed by Vine’s absence. He also received a withdrawal from Sebastian Berwick, who is suffering from illness as well. “It is a major setback for the team, but health always comes first. We wish him all the best with his recovery. Jay’s absence gives someone else the opportunity to take part in, for example, the Team Mixed Relay.”

Road Race
Michael Matthews
Ben O'Connor
Jai Hindley
Jack Haig
Michael Storer
Luke Tuckwell

Time Trial
Conor Leahy