Jay Vine secures overall win despite bizarre crash: "Kangaroos are Australia's most dangerous animals"
Jay Vine secured the overall victory in the final stage of the Tour Down Under, but it certainly wasn’t without struggle. The Australian was involved in a crash caused by two kangaroos that suddenly ran into the peloton.
In the flash interview afterwards, he shared his story. “Everyone always asks what the most dangerous animals in Australia are. For me, it’s kangaroos. They wait and hide in the bushes until you go past, then they jump right in front of you. Two of them jumped into the peloton while we were riding at fifty kilometers per hour. One of them zigzagged, so I couldn’t avoid it and hit its back. That’s just pure bad luck, but fortunately I’m okay. Sadly, we lost someone else,” Vine said.
Increasing bad luck
Despite that, Vine secured his second overall win—he already won the race in 2023. “This year was more challenging. We started very positively but kept encountering more bad luck as the week went on. We knew today wouldn’t be easy. You’re only sure once it’s really over, and today was another example of that.”
The 30-year-old rider was also full of praise for his teammates. “Adam (Yates, ed.) was crucial in the last five kilometers, especially on the climbs. He set me up perfectly. But I can’t forget Sebastián (Molano, ed.) either. He spent the first four laps riding solo at the front. Everyone did an amazing job, and I’m glad I could finish their work. Even though I’m standing here alone now, this is a team effort. I’m proud of the squad,” Vine concluded.
