Jay Vine: Zwift star can challenge for Grand Tours in future after La Vuelta heroics, claims Dan Lloyd

Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has the potential to compete with the likes of Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) at future Grand Tours if he chooses to target the general classification, according to Dan Lloyd on The Breakaway.

His victories are more remarkable given he only earned a professional contract last year after winning the Zwift Academy programme in 2020.

There is a big difference between riding a static bike indoors in front a TV and racing outdoors in a tense peloton down scary descents, but Vine already looks a natural. He finished second at the Tour of Norway behind Evenepoel in May and continues to improve.

Asked by Eurosport host Orla Chennaoui if Vine could compete for GC honours at future Grand Tours, Lloyd said: “We’ve got to remember he’s still learning this game. He literally just arrived in Europe last April and got second overall at the first race he did at the Tour of Turkey.

“He’s entirely new to this pro peloton and everything that goes with it. He’s learnt incredibly quickly and he’s already starting to get towards that complete package.

“When you come from the Zwift Academy, the first questions everyone asks: are you able to descend, are you able to position yourself in the bunch? The more I look at him and the way he was descending today, he’s as comfortable as far more experienced riders.

“He’s shown today that he’s able to recover from a big effort. He’s shown two days ago and again today he can do repeated climbs, rather than just the one effort.

“The more you look at it, the more you think if he prepares in the same way but with a slightly different mindset – ‘I won’t lose time, let’s see how far I can get in the general classification’ [he can challenge].

“I think if he puts time and effort into his time trials as well he could be up there almost with the likes of Evenepoel or Roglic.

“I almost wonder if he’s regretting deliberately losing time at the start of this race, given what he’s seen himself and what we’ve seen of him.”

Vine began Stage 8 with an 8’06” deficit on the red jersey of Evenepoel, with the 26-year-old clawing back over 90 seconds with his latest win to sit 6’33” off the GC leader and 24th overall.

Adam Blythe expects Vine to find it much trickier to get in the breakaway on mountain stages from now on, and says he will likely have to lose time on purpose before Quick-Step and Evenepoel let him off the leash again.

“He’s so good at what he’s doing now, winning stages, which if he wants to [continue] doing that he’s going to have to lose a week in time to be allowed to go in the break again,” said Blythe.

“No one will want him to be in the break on a climbing stage again because they know what he’s capable of now.”

With five more categorised climbs on the menu on Sunday, including another summit finish, Vine will certainly be eying up a repeat on Sunday – if his rivals let him.

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