Australian cycling enjoyed a moment of the surreal as Jay Vine sealed overall victory at the Tour Down Under — despite being knocked off his bike in a dramatic mid-race collision with a kangaroo.
The decisive moment came with just under 100km remaining on the final stage around Stirling, near Adelaide. A kangaroo suddenly bounded across the road and launched itself into the peloton, sending several riders crashing to the tarmac before tumbling into others desperately trying to avoid it. Vine was among those brought down in the chaos, but the Australian showed remarkable composure and resilience to remount on a team-mate’s bike and ride on.
That determination proved decisive. Riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Vine defended his race lead to claim the ochre leader’s jersey by a commanding one minute and three seconds — one of the most extraordinary overall victories in the race’s history.
Brennan shines on dramatic final stage
While Vine secured the general classification, the stage honours went to Britain’s Matthew Brennan, who produced a powerful acceleration to win the uphill sprint finish. Racing for Visma-Lease A Bike, Brennan edged out New Zealand’s Finn Fisher-Black of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe.
The drama was not without consequence. Brennan’s team-mate Menno Huising was among those forced to abandon the race after sustaining injuries in the kangaroo incident — an unusual but sobering reminder of racing’s unpredictability on Australian roads.
Denmark’s Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon-CMA CGM took third place on the 169.8km stage.
Overall standings and jerseys
Behind Vine, Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid of Jayco-AlUla finished second overall, while Australia’s Harry Sweeneycompleted the podium for EF Education-EasyPost.
Lund Andresen claimed the blue points jersey, while Norway’s Martin Urianstad Bugge won the mint-green king of the mountains jersey for Uno-X Mobility.
A golden week for British cycling
Brennan’s stage win capped a hugely encouraging week for British riders at the first WorldTour event of the season. The young sprinter — one of the most exciting talents on the circuit — won 12 races in his debut elite season in 2025 and continues to underline his potential among the sport’s new generation.
Earlier in the week, Ethan Vernon claimed a sprint victory on stage four for NSN, the new team co-owned by World Cup winner Andres Iniesta. That stage had been shortened due to extreme heat, with temperatures soaring to 43°C.
Britain’s strong showing began with Sam Watson winning the opening prologue for Ineos Grenadiers, setting the tone for a standout week.
What’s next
Attention now turns to the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Melbourne, where Brennan is among the favourites on a rolling one-day course that suits his explosive power. Looking further ahead, the Briton is set to compete in several of cycling’s biggest monuments this spring, including Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
As for Jay Vine, his Tour Down Under triumph will be remembered not just for the margin of victory — but for overcoming one of the most bizarre obstacles professional cycling has ever seen.
