"Jay Vine wins Vuelta stage nine amid Juan Ayuso's UAE team dissent"

Jonas Vingegaard appeared relaxed as he reclaimed the red jersey at the summit of Larra-Belagua, but it was a tumultuous day for UAE Team Emirates during the Vuelta a España. Jay Vine, the leader in the mountains classification, secured a stage win after his teammate Juan Ayuso criticized the team’s management, likening their actions to "a dictatorship."

Vine claimed his second stage victory, UAE’s fourth in the race, with a decisive move on the final climb to overtake his last remaining challenger from the breakaway, Pablo Castrillo. The Australian had initially abandoned plans to target the stage win as the peloton maintained a relentless pace on the hilly route, frequently exceeding 49 km/h. However, as the race progressed, an opening emerged for Vine to bridge to the leading breakaway, which he successfully seized.

Lotto’s Alec Segaert launched an attack from the leading group at the 20km mark but was overtaken by the nine remaining riders on the ascent of Larra-Belagua. Among the contenders struggling on the 6.3% gradient, only Castrillo (Movistar) and Vine remained. Vine’s superiority became clear when he surged ahead on a sharp bend with 5km remaining.

Vine’s triumph provided a positive outcome after a chaotic morning, during which Ayuso publicly condemned UAE’s management. The Spanish rider criticized their decision to announce his early contract termination three years ahead of schedule on the race’s rest day, calling it "an exercise of power over me."

Ayuso told reporters, "We had agreed that the news would be shared after the Vuelta to avoid affecting the team’s performance or the riders. Their decision was clearly intended to damage my reputation again."

Despite expressing frustration after stage nine, describing his continued role with the team as "pointless," Ayuso delivered a strong performance on the final climb as UAE leader João Almeida pressured other general classification contenders.

Almeida now sits third overall, trailing Norway’s Torstein Træen (Bahrain-Victorious) by just 12 seconds, who lost the overall lead to Vingegaard after dropping back from the GC group near the finish. Tom Pidcock remains 20 seconds behind Almeida—who had an earlier heated exchange with the Briton—placing him fourth in the standings.

Pidcock appeared in strong form on Larra-Belagua, maintaining momentum from before the rest day. "I built on my previous performance, and the more I do that, the more confidence I gain," said the Q36.5 Pro Cycling leader after the stage.

The two-time Olympic mountain bike champion confirmed that Almeida apologized for their argument, stating, "I don’t take it personally—it was just the heat of the moment."