It was the opening stages of the 2019 Giro d’Italia and the Twitterstream turned pink. We had time trials, trash talk, sprint relegations, duelling roommates, Peter Sagan‘s new hair, a sewing Cancellara and oh so much more! This baby is PACKED TO THE GILLS!
As Tom Dumoulin rolled out of the starthouse, it was clear that, well, he had no fat on him whatsoever. It was all rib cage and hip bones in his skinsuit. It was commented on quite a bit. Big Tam has turned into Tiny Tam.
This is what it felt like for Taoย
Great to have Chad in a Grand Tour – always means a rich seam of tweets.
The Ineos team of youngsters …
I love this – although William looks like a baseball with stitching around his mouth and Michael‘s eyes have turned gold and he’s lookin’ for trouble.
First or Last?
I don’t think that you can make such a direct line between Yates starting late and taking time on his rivals (except for Roglic). I’m not sure you can make out that this is brilliant tactics by him. It’s just what happened.
While the whole ‘picking your own place’ got Jeremy hot under the collar. Banned! It should be banned, dammit!
From shit to pepper
That Simon sure does talk purdy, don’t he? I think we can safely say he has a potty mouth.
His Nibs took exception to Yates’s colourful commentary. Or did he?
As Euan says, Simon didn’t do any backtracking.
But Nibali seemed to! From shit to pepper … all in a couple days.
Even Inner Ring gets into the act.
Stay on target … stay on target!
It looks like Elia Viviani got too excited about winning a stage in the Giro in his nat champs jersey. And he got relegated … the saga in tweets.
Will Newton, I say, sassy is right!ย Senechal seems to have taken a leaf out of the Yates’s Big Boys’ Book of Bluster
But Florian wasn’t the only one who thought the relegation was the wrong move by the jury … Chris Podium Cafe is unimpressed …
I’m glad he didn’t throw his bike or yell at his soigneur. That has to be the most fluid ‘ride to bus, board bus’ I’ve ever seen.
And Fernando Gaviria got the stage, the podium Prosecco and the sprinter’s jersey (and does NOT look pleased …)
Farewell, Marcel
The Argo Sun-God has hung up his wheels – we’re not sure if that’s for a break and he’ll be back or if this is for good. Either way, it takes guts to walk away from something he loves but isn’t working for him anymore and even more guts to be so honest about it on social media. We will miss Marcel Kittel – when he was in his pomp, he was such an exciting rider to watch – and we wish him all the best of everything.
There was one person who hadn’t heard about it, though
The Gruppetto
Jolly japes in De Gendt / Van der Sande room. I’m hoping this runs for the whole three weeks – might even have a little piece of TWEETS all its own every week.
The #NoGoTour has made it to the Giro
Meanwhile, somewhere in Switzerland, a retired cyclist is making his own maglia rosa
Coastal rhyming slang, courtesy of Rob Hatch.
Peter Sagan looking shorn and ready to race. Just me or is he super subdued this season?
Aaaannnnnnd he takes the first stage …
I think the stress has gotten to our Luke
Mavis has been at all the races this year – she’s even gone to California on her ‘retirement tour’. I. Am. Very. Very. Jealous.
Just when we thought it was safe to go to the buses
Eye-seering …