King of the mountains Jay Vine crashes out of Vuelta a España
Carlos Rodríguez remains in race after falling in same incident
![ALTO DEL PIORNAL SPAIN SEPTEMBER 08 Jay Vine of Australia and Team AlpecinDeceuninck Polka dot mountain jersey crashes and abandons during the 77th Tour of Spain 2022 Stage 18 a 192km stage from Trujillo to Alto del Piornal 1163m LaVuelta22 WorldTour on September 08 2022 in Alto del Piornal Caceres Spain Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5chKGs6qhLPwmvxh4iE8wa-320-80.jpg)
Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has abandoned the Vuelta a España after crashing in the opening kilometres of stage 18 to the Alto de Piornal. He was leading the king of the mountains classification after his stage victories at Pico Jano and Colláu Fancuaya in the first week.
The Australian was one of a number of riders to come down in a crash shortly after the start of the stage, and his abandon was confirmed shortly afterwards on race radio. Vine was among the favourites for victory on Thursday’s category 1 finale on the Alto de Piornal.
Vine looked set to the king of the mountains competition thanks to his brace of victories in the opening week and his targeting of points in the days since. The 26-year-old had almost double the points haul of second-placed Richard Carapaz (Ineos) before the start of stage 18.
Alpecin-Deceuninck confirmed after the stage that Vine had been taken to hospital, where a scan did not reveal any fractures. "He sustained cuts and abrasions, but no fractures were found during a check-up in the hospital," read a statement. "He will return home tomorrow [Friday - ed.]"
Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos) also came down in the same crash as Vine, sustaining cuts to his left side and back, but he remains in the race after receiving treatment from the medical car. The Spanish champion lies fourth overall, 5:20 off Remco Evenepoel’s maillot rojo and 29 seconds off third-placed Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates).
Green jersey Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was another of the fallers in the multiple-rider crash, but the Dane was able rejoin the race after the incident.
#LaVuelta22❌ @JayVine3 had to abandon the race after this crash... 👇😔 https://t.co/1hVmwAirN5September 8, 2022
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/j0riqebpsw1715769462.png)
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/j0riqebpsw1715769462.png)
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.