Additional Coverage:
Kangaroo Chaos Can’t Stop Vine: Australian Cyclist Bounces Back to Win Tour Down Under
Adelaide, Australia – Talk about a wild ride! Australian cyclist Jay Vine clinched victory at the Tour Down Under, the opening event of the 2026 World Tour, despite a truly “only in Australia” moment: getting knocked off his bike by a kangaroo on the final stage.
The dramatic incident unfolded with roughly 61 miles left in the challenging 105-mile stage through the scenic hills surrounding Adelaide. Vine, cruising at high speed, found himself in the path of two large kangaroos that suddenly bounded onto the road.
Video footage, which quickly went viral, showed Vine and several other riders hitting the deck as one of the marsupials hopped erratically through the peloton. One social media wag perfectly summed it up: “the most Australian crash I’ve ever seen.”
The crash had immediate consequences. Three riders – Menno Huising, Lucas Stevenson, and Alberto Dainese – were forced to abandon the race. Sadly, one of the kangaroos involved was later euthanized due to its injuries, while the other reportedly escaped unharmed.
Vine, who was leading the general classification by a comfortable 1 minute, 3 seconds going into the final stage, faced an uphill battle even before the kangaroo encounter. His UAE Team Emirates had already lost two crucial members, including the defending champion and then second-placed Jhonatan Narvaez, in a crash on Saturday’s fourth stage. To add to the team’s woes, Juan Sebastian Molano also pulled out on Sunday due to fatigue, leaving Vine with just two teammates for the final leg.
But true to his fighting spirit, Vine was back on his feet almost immediately. After a quick double bike change, he rejoined the main group with about 57 miles remaining. He held his nerve, staying near the front of the peloton for the rest of the stage, ultimately finishing 1 minute, 3 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid and 1 minute, 12 seconds clear of fellow Australian Harry Sweeny.
“Everyone asks me what’s the most dangerous thing in Australia and I always tell them it’s kangaroos,” Vine, who has now won his home race twice in three years, recounted after his victory. “They wait and they hide in the bushes until you can’t stop and they jump out in front of you. Point proven today.”
He elaborated on the bizarre collision: “Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing probably 50 kph (30 mph) and one of them stopped and went left, right, left right, left right and I ended up hitting its backside.”
Despite the chaos, the stage winner was Britain’s Matthew Brennan, who triumphed in a sprint finish. Even he acknowledged the unusual circumstances: “It wasn’t ideal,” Brennan told local media. “We had Menno [Huising] who usually coordinates a lot [of the lead out for the sprint], but he got smacked on by a kangaroo, so that wasn’t great.”
The final stage featured eight laps of a challenging circuit culminating in a steep climb to the finish line in Stirling. Two breakaways attempted to make a move, with the second being reeled in just a kilometer from the end.
Vine’s journey to victory was a testament to resilience, overcoming an extraordinary amount of bad luck. “This year we started off really positive and we just had more and more bad luck as the race went on,” he reflected.
“Today was never going to be easy and I’ve been saying all week it’s not over until it’s over. But it’s proven to be not over till it’s over in this race for us.”