We’ve certainly had some ‘what the heck’ moments during the action-packed racing this year. Here’s some moments that left the VeloVoices jaws on the floor. Let us know yours in the comments and VOTE NOW!

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Chris Froome, Stage 19, Giro d’Italia

Euan: Towards the end of the third week of the Giro, Chris Froome’s case looked hopeless. After stage 18 he was almost three and a half minutes behind the leader, Simon Yates. He’d crashed more often than Wall Street and looked a wan shadow of his usual self.

And then on stage 19, he sprung the biggest surprise of 2018. Froome and his team grabbed the race by the scruff of the neck and put all the other contenders in serious difficulty while looking like they were going for a Sunday ride through the park.

It’s hard to say what was most surprising about the stage. Was it that the rider who’d resembled a limping dog for two and a half weeks suddenly had the power of a lion? Was it that careful Team Sky threw away their normal game plan and instead took a massive risk that ripped the race apart?

You might have loved it or it may have made you feel a bit queasy but you have to say Froome’s performance on stage 19 of the Giro was the biggest surprise of 2018.

Romain Bardet at Strade Bianche

Kathi: Who knew that out of the mud on the Tuscan roads that Romain Bardet would emerge as one of the most exciting one-day racers this season? Not me – but what it a sight to see! Unfettered by calculating risk and minimising damage, Bedhead jumped away from a sodden peloton full of favourites to bust Strade Bianche open, only seen by said favourites again when he was being hosed down with podium Prosecco. Always held up as one of France’s best bets for a Tour de France trophy (placing on the podium twice in the last three years), it’s easy to see why his name is so linked with stage racing, but this year, Bardet threw caution to the wind and rode without restraint, taking a thrilling second in Strade, silver at the World Championships and third in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. I say put a little more meat on those bones and have a crack at Flanders, Romain!

Greg Van Avermaet at the Tour de France

Luke: No one would have judged him had Greg Van Avermaet relinquished the yellow jersey when the race hit the mountains on Stage 10 of the Tour de France. He had held the leader’s jersey since BMC won the team time trial on stage 3. Yet, he persisted. In a move that surprised many, Van Avermaet placed himself in the break and padded his overall lead on a day where many expected him to lose it. Kathi summed it up best in Podcast 125: “Certainly one of the riders that really won me over with this Tour was Greg Van Avermaet – in yellow from stage 3 before finally losing it after stage 11, got in the break when he was in yellow; when he lost yellow, he was still in the break, he was still working hard to make a show of his talents, even into week three.”

Elia Viviani’s season of success

Sheree: At the start of the season, Olympic Omnium champion Elia Viviani moved from Sky to Quick-Step Floors where he’s just rounded off his best season ever with a win in the Gent Six Day event with teammate Iljo Keisse.