UAE Team Emirates started 2026 with a winning streak, but injuries hit the Tour Down Under.

After the retirements of Laengen and Narvaez (fractured vertebrae) on the fourth stage, Bjerg's retirement came on the final stage, due to a fall triggered by a pack of kangaroos . Jay Vine also fell during the incident, but without apparent consequences, as the Australian quickly got back on his bike and completed the stage, winning the overall classification.

Immediately after the race, however, Vine began to feel severe pain in his wrist and the results of the tests revealed a serious fracture of the scaphoid , which required surgery.

The 1995-born rider will obviously not race in Sunday's Cadel Evans and has already begun his rehabilitation program to be able to return as soon as possible, probably by mid-March.