"Jay Vine triumphs solo in Vuelta Stage 6 as Vingegaard concedes lead to Traeen"

Australian Cyclist Jay Vine Secures Solo Victory in Vuelta a España Stage Six

Australian cyclist Jay Vine made a bold solo move in the final 20 kilometers to claim victory in stage six of the Vuelta a España on Thursday. Norway’s Torstein Traeen finished second and took the overall race lead from Jonas Vingegaard.

Vine was part of a 10-rider breakaway early in the 170.3-kilometer route from Olot to Pal in Andorra. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider then launched a decisive attack, holding off his rivals to secure his third career stage win in the race.

“The Vuelta wasn’t originally on my schedule, so winning here in Andorra in front of my wife and son is incredible and gives me so much motivation,” said Vine, who resides in Andorra. “In those final 5 kilometers, all I could think was, ‘This is for you, Harrison, this is for you.’”

The first major mountain stage of this year’s edition reshaped the general classification, with four riders from the breakaway overtaking pre-race favorite Vingegaard. Traeen of Bahrain Victorious crossed the line 54 seconds behind Vine, moving from 26th overall to the top of the standings, now leading France’s Bruno Armirail—who placed fourth on the stage—by 31 seconds.

Italy’s Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) finished third in the stage and climbed to third overall, while Vine’s teammate Vingegaard slipped from first to fifth, now trailing Traeen by two minutes and 33 seconds.

With the route featuring climbs from the start, the breakaway succeeded on the first ascent, as Vine summited the Collada de Sentigosa first, demonstrating his climbing strength early—a sign of his past success in the mountains classification.

The leading group steadily widened their advantage, tackling the wet climb of Collada de Toses. With 40 kilometers remaining, the peloton was over six minutes behind. Though they later reduced the gap, it was not enough to catch the leaders.

Vine was again the first to reach the top of La Comella. He accelerated on the descent and extended his lead on the final climb to the finish, never appearing vulnerable to being caught.

“I know these roads well—I live just down the hill, and La Comella is my favorite climb in Andorra,” Vine said. “I decided to push at the top, and with the wet descent being familiar territory, I knew this was my chance to escape cleanly.”

As riders like Armirail, Fortunato, and Louis Vervaeke pressured Traeen’s position in the red jersey, the 30-year-old Norwegian—who overcame testicular cancer three years ago—responded with his own attack to secure the overall lead.

The race continues in the mountains with Friday’s stage seven, a 188-kilometer route from Andorra la Vella to Cerler, finishing with another demanding category one climb.