Jay Vine won the Tour Down Under, but the Australian was not able to enjoy his overall victory for long. In the final stage, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider fell after a collision with a kangaroo. Initially he seemed to get away without serious damage, but that image has since been changed.
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Rupture after first relief
Vine was able to continue on his way after the bizarre collision and even won the race. Only afterwards did he feel increasing pain in his wrist. Medical examination provided clarity: the Australian has suffered a fracture to the scaphoid, a carpal bone that is notorious in the peloton for its tenacity.
“After the race, Jay felt pain in his wrist. We determined that he suffered an apparent fracture of the scaphoid,” confirmed UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Vine has now undergone surgery and will be out of circulation for the time being.
Familiar story for Vine
It is another chapter in a medical file that has become increasingly thick in recent years. Jay Vine has developed a reputation for often being involved in falls – and rarely coming out unscathed. This time too, fate initially seemed to favor him, but that hope turned out to be short-lived.
A scaphoid fracture is known as an annoying injury, especially for cyclists. It can persist for a long time during efforts such as pulling on the handlebars and brisk sprinting. It is not yet clear how long Vine will be out of action.
Concerns at UAE
Concerns are mounting at UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Jhonatan Narváez and Mikkel Bjerg also left the Tour Down Under with multiple fractures after falls. For Vine, the injury comes at a particularly difficult time: from a sporting point of view, his season just started perfectly.
The overall victory in his home race remains standing, but the question is how heavily the aftermath will weigh on the rest of his spring. For the time being, one thing is clear: even a won race did not offer Jay Vine a soft landing this time.
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