2018 season, Tweets of the week

Tweets of the Week: Celebrating Joie de Vivre!

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With every race, there are the winners and the losers, the heroes and the villains. But one tour this summer only had winners – and heroes. With the #NoGoTour coming out of the collapse of Aqua Blue, Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne refreshed both themselves and cycling fans everywhere and showed us – and themselves – the true beauty of cycling. This Tweets of the Week celebrates those riders who aren’t shy about showing us their joie de vivre!

Thank you, Conor! Thank you, Larry!

They didn’t have contracts but they had so much more. Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne had adventures, had music, had a wedding, had lakes and mountains, had really great yellow coats. And they had us enthralled in their adventure. They’ve made a lot of fans over the past week or so. (NB: yeah, these are out of order, but they’re still great …)

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This was the highlight of my day. There were no seats left at the café we stopped at to grab a coffee, so we sat next to this man, who was getting ready to leave. He asked us where we rode from and where we were heading and he told us about his ride. We spoke for about five minutes, half in English, half in Italian, speaking about cycling, the area, and eventually the conversation turned to the topic of our tour of the Alps. We told him we were professional cyclists, that our team had just ended, and it was at that moment that his jaw dropped, his eyes opened wide, and he went silent. “It’s you!” He said. We looked puzzled. “I read about you in the newspaper! It said you were two professional cyclists who lost their jobs and were pulled from a tour but you did your own! Because you love it! I can’t believe it! You, you’re famous!” And we laughed, and we smiled, and we couldn’t believe it. The #NoGoTour carries on and we are so grateful for all of your support and for all of the friends we’ve met along the way. 😍

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If Lawson Craddock was the Tour de France’s feelgood story, the #NoGoTour was the Vuelta’s … even when it had nothing to do with the Vuelta at all. It’s guys like these – and rides like these – and the spirit they show, that makes cycling so wonderful. Hey teams – give these guys a contract!

Meanwhile, Pinot was on a rampage

But in a great way! He joined the elite club of riders who have won a stage in all three Grand Tours. He’s winning! I can smell the heady scent of wood smoke now!

The Mr Darcy of the peloton?

He plays the drums, he jokes with the team, he’s courteous to fans and he has the best facial hair in the peloton. Julian Alaphilippe has that rare quality of being a happy-go-lucky guy off the bike while becoming Angryphilippe on the road, with an appetite for victories and challenging himself in every race. This week, he won the Tour of Britain, but it was the crazy-looking owl/falcon, the jaunty Robin Hood hat and going side-saddle that endeared us.

Shout out to whoever is in charge of Quick-Step’s Twitter account. Funny, lighthearted … magnificent.

‘Oy! You talkin’ to me?’

And who can’t love the beautiful bromance between LouLou and Jungels! BOB JUNGELS!?

And London thanks you, Quick-Step!

Who can’t love ProCycling Trumps little animations!

The Gruppetto

Oh, we do love a good ‘translate this’

I have never been so unsure about a pair of shoes in my life.

You never stop being a fan. His Nibs looks thrilled …

Mancrush gone wild (Panache, we miss you!!!!!!)

If this isn’t fierce joy, I don’t know what is. Chapeau, Bauke Mollema, chapeau!

The last word

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  1. Pingback: VeloVoices Podcast 129: Brits, Bushels and Buttocks | VeloVoices

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