Sharjah: In a thrilling and unpredictable finale to the 2026 Santos Tour Down Under, Australian Jay Vine secured overall victory for UAE Team Emirates-XRG yesterday, overcoming intense heat and crashes to claim the ochre leader's jersey and the general classification title on home soil. From the early stages, Vine asserted himself as the rider to beat. After winning Stage 2 with a powerful team-led attack on the Corkscrew climb alongside teammate Jhonatan Narv¡ez, Vine took the overall lead and wore the ochre jersey for much of the race.
According to Emirates News Agency, the squad endured tough conditions throughout, including a shortened Stage 4 due to extreme heat and fire risk, and a dramatic late crash that forced Narv¡ez out of contention with injury. The final stage was far from straightforward. Mid-race, Vine was knocked off his bike in a collision caused by kangaroos entering the peloton, but he quickly remounted, switched bikes with teammate Ivo Oliveira, and rejoined the main group. Despite the disruption, the Australian held firm and finished safely in the peloton, securing an overall triumph by more than a minute on the general classification.
Though only starting with five riders, each member of the team stepped up to secure the lead of Vine, despite dangerous attacks from close GC rivals. Mikkel Bjerg, who also fell victim to the kangaroo collision, was ruled out of the race, and only Adam Yates and Ivo Oliveira arrived at the line in Sterling.