Australian Jay Vine didn't just fend off rivals to win the Tour Down Under cycling race—he also had to deal with a kangaroo. The 29-year-old was one of several riders who crashed Sunday after two large kangaroos bounded into the road on a fast section of the final stage near Adelaide, about 61 miles from the finish of the first event of the 2026 World Tour, per CBS News. One onlooker called it "the most Australian crash." Three cyclists were forced to abandon the race. One of the kangaroos was later euthanized due to its injuries, while the other reportedly hopped away.
Vine later said he hit the "backside" of a kangaroo that ran into the road as the peloton was moving at 30mph, per the AP. The cyclist, who started the day with a 1 minute, 3 second lead in the overall standings, got back on his feet, swapped bikes twice, and rejoined the pack just over 2 miles further on, per CBS. Still, there were limitations, with just two members of his UAE Team Emirates squad remaining to assist him. Two other members, including defending champion Jhonatan Narvaez, had crashed out the previous day, while teammate Juan Sebastian Molano quit the final stage with fatigue.
Vine pushed on despite seemingly endless bad luck, remaining near the front of the pack for the remainder of the race. He finished the tour with the same 1:03 cushion over Switzerland's Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla), sealing his second Tour Down Under victory in three years. The stage went to Britain's Matthew Brennan (Team Visma). "Everyone asks me what's the most dangerous thing in Australia and I always tell them it's kangaroos," Vine said afterward. "Point proven today."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
