Jay Vine's wife faced some frightening moments after the Giro crash: 'He got lucky'

Bre Vine has responded via her social channels to her husband Jay Vine's crash in the Giro d'Italia. The Australian went down hard on day two, breaking his elbow and sustaining a concussion, and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

It was not the first time Vine has hit the ground hard. Earlier this season, at the Tour Down Under, he was knocked off his bike by a kangaroo and broke his wrist. He finished the stage, won the overall classification, but the wrist injury cost him a lengthy recovery.

Ahead of the Giro, the signs around Vine had been cautiously positive again. He arrived at the race without GC ambitions but with big dreams — only for them to end on day two. When his teammate Marc Soler crashed in front of him, Vine had no way to avoid him. The two went together into the barriers.

With a broken elbow and a concussion, Vine might be considered relatively fortunate given the violence of the crash — but his wife Bre reveals that the hours from Saturday into Sunday were frightening ones. "It was really scary, but the most important thing is that Jay is okay, when you consider how bad the crash was. He got lucky."

"In this sport, you can do everything right, be in the right position, and still end up on the ground," Bre wrote. "Watching the replays brought back memories of the Basque Country" — a reference to the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country crash, in which Vine was also involved, alongside Jonas Vingegaard among others. He fractured multiple vertebrae in that crash and spent weeks in a back brace.

The accumulation of those images was deeply distressing for Bre Vine, particularly as it took some time before she knew how her husband was doing. UAE Team Emirates-XRG kept her updated as quickly as possible. "I really appreciate those behind-the-scenes efforts. All the messages from people are also helping me so much."

That Vine has had to endure several serious crashes in recent years is no secret. This Giro fall is the latest on that list. "And this one hurts, because Jay has worked so hard to be healthy and in form. This sport is cruel, so the focus now goes back to recovery and getting him healthy and happy."

The climber will get back on his bike — his wife knows that better than anyone. Together with their son Harrison, Bre Vine is travelling to the hospital where Jay is being treated. "We don't know when his next race will be — that's not a priority right now. We want to know exactly what his injuries are and go from there. We take concussions very seriously; it's really important to give that time."