Vine's watts in Australia are off the charts, but can he be a leader in a Grand Tour? Bruyneel doesn't think so

Vine was delivered perfectly by UAE Team Emirates-XRG to the steep Corkscrew climb. When he accelerated, only Narváez could follow. The duo crossed the finish with a 58-second gap, largely thanks to Vine: according to the calculated data, the climber averaged over 500 watts for about 12 minutes — roughly 7.3 watts per kilogram. Insane numbers!

Johan Bruyneel was deeply impressed by Vine, who fully deserved the overall victory. “He did all the work himself,” the Belgian said on his podcast THEMOVE. “You could see in Narváez’s body language that he could only sit on his wheel. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn’t lead — not until it went downhill.”

Vine has long been regarded as a potential top rider, also thanks to his Zwift background. But can he improve further — and can he be at his best for three weeks straight? “I think this is Jay Vine at his peak. He seizes his opportunities when they present themselves, but to be the leader… he doesn’t give any guarantees. He’s never finished in the top 5 of a Grand Tour. At UAE there are always riders who are better, who have already stood on a podium.”

Bruyneel doesn’t see the Australian as a true Grand Tour contender just yet, even though he can climb exceptionally well and also finished second at the World Championships time trial. The ingredients are there, but the Belgian thinks Vine should enjoy what he has right now. “It’s amazing for Jay Vine. He can compete with the best in week-long races, which isn’t easy. And in Grand Tours he will always have a leader above him, but he can still win stages. That’s a really nice situation.”

As a leading Australian rider, Vine is quickly noticed by Jayco AlUla. “That would be the logical next step, right? You want such a good Australian rider on your Australian team,” said the former US Postal team boss. “And I bet they’ve already tried. Whatever they paid for Ben O’Connor; I think Vine is worth the same.”

With his qualities, Vine should ideally aim for a top 5 in a Grand Tour, Bruyneel added. “The question is: can he do that? Which team would he go to? If he returns to Alpecin-Premier Tech he will be the leader, of course. But will he then finish top 5? He’s a great rider, but he probably won’t be on the podium. Are teams interested enough to invest? He’s 30 years old, you know.”