Giro d’Italia 2023: ‘I don’t care’ – Jay Vine attacks Emirates team in special interview

Jay Vine (UAE Emirates) has lashed out at his team in a special interview at the Giro d’Italia, suggesting he doesn’t care about team-mate João Almeida’s pursuit of the title.

The Australian complained he was forced to help Almeida and aim for a top-10 overall finish rather than chasing stage wins, which he said went against the agreement he reached when he signed a new contract with the team last week. protocol.

“It’s not clear what the team’s plans are,” Wane told Eurosport ahead of Thursday’s game against Rivoli.

“I’ve been told I can be in the top 10, but that’s not fun for me personally. Ideally, I’d aim for 45 minutes less and then be able to target certain stages.

“The other part is taking care of Joao and getting him on the podium, otherwise it’s more important to me to win the stage. Whichever way the team decides to go, I’m happy.”

When asked why GC’s top 10 didn’t appeal to him, Vine continued: “I’m not interested because it has no monetary value at all.

“I’ve been signed for four years and part of the negotiation is ‘top ten is pointless’. So I don’t care. It might be great for the team, social media, but wins or podiums [are what matters]…other than that, I’d love to help Joao, but I personally don’t care. ”

In another curveball, Vine was later more than 12 minutes behind the maglia rosa group that contained Thomas and Almeida in the 12th stint – leaving him 36th in GC, almost 25 minutes behind Thomas, and hinting that as the mountains approached, He will turn his attention to stage wins.

There were three bruised cats on Friday’s five-star stage. 1 ascent, even though the competition’s Cima Coppi ascent of the Great St. Bernard Pass was canceled due to snow and avalanche risks.

Almeida, who finished fourth in the 2020 Giro and sixth in 2021, is expected to battle Thomas and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) on the uphill Giro.

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