SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia’s Jay Vine claimed his first World Tour victory in the Tour Down Under on Sunday, with Britain’s Simon Yates winning a thrilling uphill battle to take the race’s final stage.
Yates (Team Jayco-AlUla) gave one final lung-busting effort to overtake Vine at the Mount Lofty finish for his first-ever victory in Australia, denying Vine from winning a stage at this year’s TDU.
Vine (UAE Team Emirates) capped an outstanding week after keeping close to his only serious rival for the ochre leader’s jersey in the hard slog up to the finish, sealing his win in the final general classification.
Vine won the World Tour TDU at his first attempt and continued his rise to prominence in world professional cycling after winning two stages at the Vuelta a Espana last year.
Yates, the 2018 Vuelta a Espana winner, rolled the dice with 1.7km to go, and Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroen Team) and Vine tacked on the end of the three-man breakaway in the dash to the finish.