The name Libby Hill might very well become part of cycling legend – it was a great Worlds in Richmond and Twitter was there! I’ve sifted through the debris after the crowds left and have all the goodies. We have Robocop Kiryienka, That Boy Phinney, #KwiatKrush, Lizzie Armitstead and, of course, the Velvet Samurai himself, Peter Sagan – plus plenty of fan interaction!
Leading all the way
It was the trade team time trial (try saying that three times fast after a strong whisky sour) and BMC were defending champions. And they defended so successfully they all fell to the ground.
Robocop
It was a bit of a shock that Tony Martin didn’t storm the course and take his fourth ITT gold but it was not to be. It was, in fact, Belarus’s Vasil Kiryienka who went out fast and just stayed fast the whole course. He seems to have learned the ‘basking shark breathing technique’ from Tony though.
Second was Italy’s Adriano Malori.
And third was France’s Jerome Coppel with the best national kit ever.
Tom Dumoulin, who was third last year, put in a lot of effort but could only manage fifth. The welding goggles must have given him too much drag.
And here’s the ITT podium … see what I mean about the French kit?
In the lookie-likie stakes, we have a new contender for Kiry!
The Belarus flag caught Peter Flax’s attention.
And Rohan Dennis – who apparently is prone to enraged bike throwing (I did not know that before this week) – was notable in keeping his cool in this race.
One stripey jersey …
In the women’s elite road race, it was a dream come true for British rider Lizzie Armitstead, who took a tight bunch sprint to the delight of everyone. One stripey jersey comin’ up!
Two things about tweet from Business Insider. First of all, it reads like a headline writer who just puts holding copy in while they figure out what to write and then forgot about it. Second of all, we’ve all seen men coming over the line for a big win in tears, but we’ve never see a headline like that. Third of all – three, three things about this tweet – third is if that’s the sort of detached, off the cuff, ‘can’t think of anything better to say’ tweet you’re going to do, just don’t tweet it. Simples.
And the question of the day:
Second to none
It was a long race. It was hard fought. It was a glorious finish. As it should be for the world championships.
Even Tyler Farrar got into the action! Who woulda thunk it?
Then this happened.
I can see Business Insider’s headline now: 25-year-old Slovakian wins world championships, bursts into tears.
One of the best things about Sagan’s win was the reaction from the rest of the peloton.
Speaking of the rainbow curse:
A thoughtful, heartfelt speech at the end and pure joy on the podium. Shame it wasn’t outside for all the fans to cheer him as he donned the rainbow jersey. It’s a victory that was meant to be shared.
A few more reactions
Another headline to contemplate. I notice they didn’t mention tears from the great guy from Zilina.
It’s a hair thing.
Second can be a very sad place sometimes. But I’m sure once the pain goes away, Bling will be proud of his achievement.
And I’m sure Navardauskas is nothing but thrilled.
Worlds round-up
A few great pictures, a few more little tweets…
Mads Wurtz knew what he was capable of.
Luke’s Adventures in Richmond
One of our favourite tweeps is definitely Luke Allingham and he was one of the many fans who made it to Richmond and found time to tweet about it!
The gruppetto
Tweets I couldn’t bear to leave out.
Ride the Revolution, @festinagirl’s book about women in cycling, will be published on 22 October. Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to interview Ashley Gruber for the book. Bloomsbury’s taking pre-orders!
Cadel Evans gets to the heart of David Millar‘s crash faux pas.
Transfers this season were a bit bonkers in a lot of ways. Unabashed maverick Landa going to Sky was just one of them.
“And remember, if you don’t have your entry bracelet on, you will not get back into the grounds. I repeat, keep your entry bracelet ON at all times. Now for some safety announcements …”
Kris Boeckmans finally left the hospital after his horrific crash in the Vuelta. Excellent news.
“Pontiff steals thunder shocker”
Mavis Evans was another of our tweeps who was in Richmond – Andre Greipel wished her a happy birthday and Adam Hansen kept her company at the airport. (Okay, the last one might be stretching the point a bit)
Speaking of Adam – he’s finally taking a well-deserved break.
Lord Hoy knows what’s important when it comes to recovery.
Wouldn’t be Tweets without Pippo showing some skin.
The last word
