Four months ago, Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) was in ICU with three spinal fractures and a fractured skull. Along with a handful of the sport’s biggest names, the Australian had been involved in a huge crash on stage 4 of Itzulia Basque Country and it wasn’t clear what the long-term impacts might be.
Now, after months of rehab, recovery, and countless medical appointments, Vine isn’t just back racing – he’s back winning too.
Earlier this week, Vine lined up at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain – his first race back since the crash. After a mostly anonymous start to the race, Vine rode to victory in Thursday’s stage 4 individual time trial, proving fastest over 18.5 flat kilometres. His time was enough to win the stage by 12 seconds, his average speed almost 56 km/h.
The significance of the win wasn’t lost on Vine.
“Four months ago I was in intensive care, not far from where today’s stage took place actually, so to be on the top step after what I’ve been through is pretty phenomenal,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s been a really long few months, with lots of waiting around not to mention the continuing work I will have to do for the rest of my life so I can keep the mobility I’ve worked hard to get back.”
In the aftermath of Vine’s crash in April, doctors told him he’d been lucky. While he’d suffered a cervical (neck) fracture and two thoracic (upper back) fractures, plus a fractured skull, he’d managed to avoid more-permanent or life-altering injuries.
Still, Vine spent more than a week in hospital before being transferred back to his home in Andorra. He was in a neck brace for eight weeks and was only given the green light to ride outside in late May. Even then he was only allowed to ride gently uphill – his wife Bre (pregnant with the couple’s first child) would collect Jay at the top of climbs and drive him back to the base to start again. It wasn’t until early July that Vine was allowed to ride descents.
By late July he was back training at altitude with his UAE Team Emirates teammates. By now, the other top riders involved in the Basque Country crash had all returned to competition. Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič had returned at the Critérium du Dauphiné in early June ahead of appearances at the Tour de France and Jonas Vinegaard returned at the Tour itself. But by the time the Tour finished, Vine still didn’t know when he’d return to racing.
Ultimately he’d line up at the Vuelta a Burgos this week, taking only a few days to return to the winners’ list.
“A special thank you to my wife being so supportive and patient whilst heavily pregnant supporting me through the recovery process, along with the team,” Vine said. “They have been in constant contact every step of the way, and going above and beyond for me.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past few months. Obviously it’s been really difficult to come back but I’m so glad I’ve been able to do it this way.”
It’s not yet clear what Vine’s next race will be – UAE Team Emirates hasn’t yet confirmed its line-up for the Vuelta a España which begins in just over a week. Regardless, Vine should soon have more to celebrate than just his comeback victory.
“This isn’t even the most special thing that is happening to me this month,” he said. “Hopefully my wife gives birth in the next couple of days to my first born, so it’s incredible.”
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