Australian Vine cut short his stay with Alpecin-Deceuninck, leaving the team with which he stepped up to the professional ranks with a year left on his contract, moving on to UAE Team Emirates in a surprise off-season move.
“I’m really excited to be joining UAE Team Emirates. With their strong combination of riders and their GC experience, this was the next logical step in my career.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunities Alpecin has given me, and how they’ve helped me find my place in the peloton. I’m motivated for the new season with UAE, and eager to further refine my GC ambitions whilst helping the boys kick some goals.”
The 26-year old climbing specialist established himself as a force in 2022, claiming two stage victories in only his second Grand Tour at the 2022 Vuelta España where he was also on track to win the king of the mountains classification before crashing out. He also took overall podium finishes at both the Tour of Turkey and the Tour of Norway.
Mauro Gianetti, CEO and Team Principal of UAE Team Emirates, was happy to welcome Vine into the squad.
“We are very pleased to welcome Jay into the team,” Gianetti said. “He has proven himself as a top-class climber and we feel that he still has a margin to grow and develop more on the road.
“He came into cycling relatively late but has progressed very quickly and has shown a good mentality and a real desire to join our team. We hope for many good years working together.”
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'Turning pro' the Jay Vine way
Vine is a success story of the National Road Series, the domestic racing scene in Australia, as well as the virtual racing world, coming through the Zwift Academy to take an Alpecin contract at the end of 2020, then becoming the E-Sports Cycling World Champion in 2022.
His success at WorldTour level continued that trajectory, and he has mirrored that ascendancy with his move to a bigger team in UAE Team Emirates.
