Jay Vine confirmed to defend Tour Down Under title in 2024

Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) will race the Tour Down Under in 2024 as the Australian looks to defend his title.

The 27-year-old is currently enjoying his off-season but the team’s general manager, Mauro Gianetti, confirmed via text message that the Australian would head to Adelaide next January to take on the six-day race.

Next year’s Tour Down Under starts on January 13, and although the individual time trial has been removed from the parcours, the event looks set to provide exciting early WorldTour action.

Willunga Hill, the most iconic climb in the race’s history, is set for a return on the penultimate day, while the final stage will involve a summit finish on Mount Lofty.

Vine joined UAE Team Emirates at the start of 2023 and made an instant impression, winning the Australian national time trial championships by three seconds over Luke Durbridge before taking the overall win at the Tour Down Under a few weeks later.

He did not win a stage during his home race but was consistent in the early stages before moving into the leader’s jersey on stage 3. He eventually finished second to Simon Yates on the final Mount Lofty stage to seal an 11-second overall win ahead of Yates. Pello Bilbao completed the podium.

It’s unclear who would join Vine at the race regarding UAE Team Emirates teammates, with several of the 2023 squad who attended this year’s event set to leave the team ahead of 2024. Teammate Finn Fisher-Black did race the Tour Down Under and could well return.

Other big names confirmed for the race include Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla). The 2023 runner-up Simon Yates has been linked with a return but has not confirmed his participation.