Last week it was announced that Jay Vine will join Team UAE Emirates after signing a two-year contract and breaking an existing deal with his current team, Alpecin-Deceuninck. This news was the catalyst to arrange a long overdue interview…

 

 

– An interview by Rob Arnold

 

In another long discussion with a pro cyclist, you can watch and listen to husband-and-wife pairing, Jay and Bre Vine as they explain a range of things in relation to the career of a remarkable rider.

Although our exchange has been edited (slightly) for brevity you can see their reaction and hear their thoughts about the change of teams for his third season of racing in Europe, the stage victories in the 2022 Vuelta a España, his aspirations to improve his time trialling ability, and a range of other topics.

 

Video chapters // Time code

  • 0:00 to 3:20 Introduction to the video and to Jay and Bre.
  • 3:20 to 3:55 Covering off some of the basics… Where did Jay actually grow up?
  • 3:55 to 7:00 Setting up in Andorra. How did Jay and Bre adjust to life in Europe?
  • 7:00 to 7:40 Preference for riding in Andorra – solo for training…
  • 7:40 to 11:00 Big changes in 2023: Considering the move to UAE Team Emirates…
  • 11:00 to 14:50 Winning stages at La Vuelta.
  • 14:50 to 16:50 Wearing the polka-dot jersey for 10 days… before the crash.
  • 16:50 to 18:45 Considering the numbers: and overview of power data and Jay’s weight.
  • 18:45 to 21:15 Crashing out of the Vuelta and the injury explained.
  • 21:15 to 24:20 Moving on from a supportive team: are there any regrets about leaving?
  • 24:20 to 28:00 Expectations for next season: What is the role at UAE Team Emirates?
  • 28:00 to finish… Indoor cycling and the home trainer… Does that still hold the same appeal in 2022?

 

 

(Note: in the coming days, I’ll add a full transcript of the interview so you can read through the Q&A session which you can find on RIDE Media’s YouTube channel.)

Training on the climbs near the Vines’ European base in Andorra. (Photo: Bre Vine)

Jay races his bike. Bre manages a lot of the stuff that is part of a pro cyclist’s life… and together they make a great team. For this reason, I felt it was appropriate to invite both to be part of the video interview.

They took some time out on a Monday afternoon to speak to me from Jay’s parents’ house near Ipswich in Queensland, while I was in my office in Sydney. (Please excuse a few picture drop-outs during the course of the interview, but we all understand tech issues in the modern world.)

Originally planned to be recorded in the morning, we postponed the interview after Jay got a knock on the door from WADA at the time of our original ‘meeting’, with a request for a random doping control. Once that was taken care of, Jay went for a training ride – one of his first as he begins his preparation for a third season of racing in Europe – and, after he returned to base we hit ‘record’.

This is my first chat with Jay and Bre and we jump from one topic to the next while attempting to overview what has so far been a short career. There is, however, a lot to consider and so I’ve opted to present it with only a few minor edits so that you too can get to know the couple.

He is an interesting rider who has arrived at road cycling’s highest level via a different trajectory to most. It’s likely you know the story of how he won a competition organised by Zwift and scored himself a contract for the 2021 season with a team then called Alpecin-Fenix.

By the end of his neo-pro year, he was part of the eight-man selection for the Vuelta a España of 2021. He got third in stage 14 and firmed up a place on the Belgian team for 2022. His contract extension meant he could have stayed with Alpecin-Deceuninck through to the end of next year but he worked out an arrangement with this current team and will make the switch to UAE Emirates, starting on 1 January 2023.

This year he was again selected to race La Vuelta and, in late-August, he collected victories in stages six and eight, picking up enough points to lead the climbing classification after the opening week.For 10 days he wore the Vuelta’s polka-dot jersey – a prize that has been won by two Australians in the past, Simon Clarke (2012) and Michael Storer (2021). Vine seemed destined to be crowned the King of the Mountains of the 77th Vuelta but an accident early in stage 18 ended that quest.

Forced to abandon with a nasty cut on his left wrist, Vine never got to finish off the job he started at the Vuelta but he remains upbeat and optimistic that his career will continue to prosper. In 2023 he joins a new team with fresh challenges… and with the benefit of having now spent a few seasons racing in Europe.

It’s been an impressive start to his cycling career but, a week out from his 27th birthday, he certainly seems confident that bigger things are yet to come.

I hope you enjoy the long interview with a couple of interesting cycling professionals.

 

 

– Interview by Rob Arnold

 

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A rare rainbow jersey appearance for cycling’s reigning esports world champion. (Photo: Bre Vine)