While Strade Bianche gave the riders a good dusting on Saturday, Paris-Nice‘s peloton is getting battered by the high winds. This week’s Tweets has given us a musketeer with a swashbuckling way of getting the cork out of the champagne bottle, flying cows, a leek in the maillot jaune, and much much more …
It was that pesky final kilometre
He was the favourite – and he delivered the goods on the final kilometre into Siena. Yes, Julian Alaphilippe won Strade on his debut to the race. Not too shabby!
@alafpolak: "It was a really hard day. It's really special for me win the #StradeBianche at my first patecipation". pic.twitter.com/5TEEz0bxfV
— Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) March 9, 2019
Once again, Wout Van Aert has won the admiration of cycling fans everywhere with his gritty, never-say-fall-back attitude, which put him on the third step of the podium for the second year running.
@WoutvanAert like a gladiator on the Tuscan roads ! Huge congrats
@StradeBianche 3th @JumboVismaRoad pic.twitter.com/JMAujnfaXZ
— Guy Kostermans (@GuyKostermans) March 9, 2019
New fans for @jakob_fuglsang!
#StradeBianche pic.twitter.com/Ck3EzbggPi
— Astana Pro Team (@AstanaTeam) March 9, 2019
Diaries, handstands and dust everywhere.
Hey my dear!
Sorry for not writing to you yesterday! I was so overwhelmed from the experience and suffering that I needed the time for myself. As I told you I learnt to ride the white roads. Now we have a new thing to learn: how to push the pedals as hard as the others. Deal?— Gino Mäder (@maedergino) March 10, 2019
REPORT: “I did my own race but I didn’t have the same legs as last week. I didn’t have the legs to win today so I can be happy with sixth place.” @GregVanAvermaet on another top ten finish at #StradeBianche.
Full report
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https://t.co/Eqwt50DZ7L #RideForMore
Cor Vos pic.twitter.com/UyrmluYJd6
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) March 9, 2019
Cor Vos It’s never fun to get dropped I guess, but in #StradeBianche..
pic.twitter.com/iTKUrPXcIS
— Sven Jonker (@SvenJonker) March 9, 2019
That was by far the coolest race I’ve ever done! I had good legs today but had to give my wheel in a key moment to keep @SimoClarke in contention for the win. He finished the day off with a great top 10 finish. I had an amazing time rippin’ on the dirt roads of Tuscany
pic.twitter.com/AuJd2FfPHr
— Logan Owen (@logansowen) March 9, 2019
It’s a beautiful race, that’s for sure!
Check out our shots from Tuscany today at #StradeBianche
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https://t.co/otE5DsOlj1 pic.twitter.com/SiYUInw4Dc
— Team Sunweb (@TeamSunweb) March 9, 2019
LouLou certainly knows how to entertain …
Champagne's on @alafpolak tonight
pic.twitter.com/31Ms8m8gnd
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) March 9, 2019
Paris-Nice
The wind has put paid to a lot of this race already, with a number of DNFs in the first two stages, including Warren Barguil, who had a double fracture to his second cervical vertebrae (that’s the neck … !), Rigoberto Uran (out with a fractured collarbone), Michael Matthews (concussion), and Martijn Tusveld (fractured jaw … !) Mark Cavendish also abandoned the race on Monday. Who knows if the winds will continue to batter the peloton but, what with injuries and those echelons putting GC riders out of contention, the winner might just be the last one standing at the weekend!
Cobbles, gravel, they've tried it all. Now it's quicksand #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/VSCg8XrXsN
— Fabrizio
(@fabrizioviani) March 10, 2019
(@fabrizioviani) Always a good day when Koen de Kort is in Tweets of the Week.
What the wind did prove is that Egan Bernal is not just a mountain man – he’s fearless when it comes to echelons. And Jumbo Visma are having a storming Paris-Nice with Dylan Groenewegen taking back-to-back sprints. He looks like he’s going to have a stellar season.
Dylan did it again!
Not only the fastest sprinter but also super strong, today's race was more for the Flandrien riders. Jumbo-Visma did a fantastic job.
Great day of pure cycling! #ParisNicepic.twitter.com/MHlgc2K686
— Mihai Cazacu (@faustocoppi60) March 11, 2019
Not only the fastest sprinter but also super strong, today's race was more for the Flandrien riders. Jumbo-Visma did a fantastic job. 
Great day of pure cycling! He really can do everything.
What a show today by @Eganbernal who bossed the echelons!
He's super motivated to win this race. But so is Kwiatkowski!
The weekend will be fun. #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/QVPiobCmJ1
— Mihai Cazacu (@faustocoppi60) March 10, 2019
What a show today by 
The weekend will be fun. The Gruppetto
DQS shares out the wins (amongst their own riders, of course)
Leeked photo: Thomas will be at the Tour https://t.co/RLdSmSvkBJ
— Fabrizio
(@fabrizioviani) March 7, 2019
All the GIFs
On the search for something else, I've discovered the wealth of Cofidis GIFs. Why was I not aware of this earlier?!
pic.twitter.com/GxlylSquu0
— fiona (@fiona_wyse) March 7, 2019
Someone got a new house!
Blij met ons nieuwe huis
pic.twitter.com/evgOp6TPNA
— Dylan Groenewegen (@GroenewegenD) March 7, 2019
When Silvan Dillier bests you on Strava, it’s a bitter bitter day
sorry! i saved myself the whole race for this KOM..
#strava #KOMhunter https://t.co/8fBF5ZrlR6
— Silvan Dillier (@silvandillier) March 9, 2019
