Ah Twitter, you giveth and you taketh away. You praise and you punish. You broadcast dodgy pictures of shirtless cyclists. It’s your contradictions we love. Except when the incessant whining gets on one’s nerves. But I digress. This week, we have Vos and Stybar in muddy triumph, Chris Horner finally signs with someone, and Samu Sanchez goes toe to toe with That Boy Phinney in the gold shoe stakes.
Some people are Cross
It was the CX World Championships over the weekend and Marianne Vos outfoxed her opponents to continue her reign as champion. And this turned up some interesting reactions.
But that was Saturday. Sunday saw Zdenek Stybar cross the line muddied yet triumphant to take his third CX rainbow jersey (the previous two were 2010 and 2011).
Both of these cyclists are known for being tough, passionate riders who often put any and all opponents to shame. (In Vos’s case, replace the word ‘often’ with ‘always’.) You’d think that fans would be able to get on board with these two. Um, no. That’s not the way cycling fans work – at least not on Twitter.
Neal Rogers, often the voice of reason, hits the nail on the head.
Horner corners a team
If you remember back to, say, the week before last, Chris Horner still hadn’t found a team who was willing to sign him and we weren’t putting it past him to pitch up to races in his own kit for the #IDidThat team. So there were mixed emotions when it was announced that Horner, the 2013 Vuelta champion, finally signed for a team.
Why? That’s a darn good question, Trudgin. Keep reading. People were falling all over themselves to detail all the reasons why this signing was a good thing.
Horner’s race schedule will take in both the Giro and the Vuelta. He is confident he can win them both. Okey-dokey then!
The links for all these pieces in the tweets are here: Peloton ‘shot of winning’; VeloNews ‘eating cheeseburgers’ and VeloNation ‘technically a great rider’.
And on the subject of riders who are long in the tooth, we had a 102-year-old man setting an hour record last week. So Horner has a new goal to look forward to next year. (Boom boom! I’m here all week – don’t forget to tip your waitress!)
The Gruppetto
I’m betting Paolini wanted to punch each and every one of those liquid-wielding yahoos. (But great pic from Jered Gruber!)
Right to the point, this one. I dare anyone to throw water in the face of these brutes.
“I must, I must, I must increase my bust.”
Maybe not by this much though … (Is Jens tied to some post or is that a fishing pole or …? What is he holding/chained to? This picture only asks questions, it does not provide answers.)
Sylvain Chavanel – not just lovely to say, but lovely to look at in his new IAM kit (the best kit in the peloton, by far).
One of my favourite tweets of all time, ever, from Winnipeg Cycle Chick. You don’t see flowers and butterflies on Vos the Boss’s kit.
Someone noted that Dave Brailsford looked like Eddie Izzard in this picture. I think he looks like Uncle Fester trying to look like Eddie Izzard and failing miserably.
There was, of course, another big (late) signing last week. Samu Sanchez rides with BMC this season. Still unsure if his gold Sidi shoes ride with him. And if they do, does this put him on a collision course in the ‘I’ve got the best shoes’ stakes with That Boy Phinney? I think it does! (My money is on Phinney every single time…)
The Last Word
