Giro Tweets of the Week : Peloton meltdown, crazy Liege, and waterfowl a go-go

It feels as though the weird is accelerating week by week – but we capture it all here. We have Etna blowing the Giro apart, Alaphilippe’s crazy Liege, Roglic’s quiet drink, and there are ducks *everywhere*. Go on – take a cheeky break from your home office prison and break free with TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Etna takes its toll

Stage 3 of the Giro just … well … it was …

Sicily or Mars?@bettiniphoto #Giro pic.twitter.com/zd4Sx3wVU7

— daniel mcmahon (@cyclingreporter) October 5, 2020

Ok so the GC group just made an echelon. What in the gibbering flip is happening?!

— tom owen (@tomowencc) October 5, 2020

Mountain top echelon.

— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) October 5, 2020

As they have long said on the Italian isle of Sicily, once two of your goats have run from the pen and others have decided to lay down, the flock will nibble for the rest of the day.

— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) October 5, 2020

Bora is the new Movistar

Majka is an evil Shlecklette and I will not see otherwise 😂

— fiona (@fiona_wyse) October 5, 2020

Go Caicedo! #Giro pic.twitter.com/dqOPpd4oEt

— Bronagh (@BeebsyMcA) October 5, 2020

The EF dude is riding with all the passion of a guy who wants a different jersey to wear tomorrow that doesn’t have effing ducks on it.

— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) October 5, 2020

THIS AIN'T OVER FLAX

— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) October 5, 2020

G hits the deck; Giro goes out the window

Neutralised zone crash on stage three has to be just about the most miserable way to lose a Grand Tour. I can only think of two worse ways — same thing on stage one or two. #giro2020

— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) October 5, 2020

If he does now it’ll only be to keep him warm https://t.co/kg0DFZjkL6

— Journal Velo (@JournalVelo) October 5, 2020

Meanwhile, Simon PHILIP Yates had his Mitchelton Scott team on the front, driving the pace on the way to Etna. And then they all vanished. And Yates vanished with them. The race is wide open now.

Yates at the back with jersey fully open #Giro pic.twitter.com/jrVMYUJcJP

— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) October 5, 2020

Backing myself to win this year's #Giro at this rate.

— Bronagh (@BeebsyMcA) October 5, 2020

Ducks on the march

With the way the EF Ducks are riding, this seems more and more possible.

.@EFprocycling less Donald and more… pic.twitter.com/22yAw2b07X

— Freddie Shires (@fshires) October 5, 2020

Some sharp words for Vaughters about the kit. (Which I think was uncalled for). Then JV made his point but forgot about Ryder …

Anyone can design and wear hideously ugly kit and get people to talk about (see San Mateo kit attached)
What else you got, @EFprocycling, @Vaughters? https://t.co/ergLOksWmj pic.twitter.com/wbNrdqRpet

— Carl Warner (@CarlRWarner) October 4, 2020

You forgot Ryder WON THE GIRO!

— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) October 5, 2020

Cav‘s son loved the new kit

Now this is cool. Confirmed by the fact my eldest asked me excitedly if I’d seen it. Well done 👏🔥🦆 https://t.co/EQM74vAgaA

— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) October 2, 2020

They also got the thumbs up from Michele Acquarone.

Today is one of those days when I regret no longer being the head of the Giro d’Itali. I would have welcomed the EF Pro Cycling Team and cheered loudly admiring its ducky kit and lovely helmet. Well done guys, you leveled up! 👏🏼
Happy Giro everyone, I miss you a lot! #giro pic.twitter.com/2zyYWJbCb6

— Michele Acquarone (@micacquarone) October 3, 2020

The stuff of nightmares

#LeAnatreDelGiro 🦆 pic.twitter.com/FVadR5BXQV

— Visible Procrastinations (@visibleprocrast) October 3, 2020

2020 can be called off now. We have peaked https://t.co/KFkfmpp6RS

— Velorooms (@Velorooms) October 3, 2020

The reincarnation of Bez

@handmadecyclist https://t.co/LD1hkntHMw

— Mark Benzie (@hantsarchitect) October 2, 2020

I believe it was because they didn’t let the UCI know ahead of time. EF wanted the kit to be a surprise, and I guess they didn’t let UCI know in their time window.

— Bowen Assman (@B0B0Assman) October 3, 2020

Liege

Roglič wins by a resilient throw#LBL #SBSCycling #couchpeloton pic.twitter.com/TmnYiihPvW

— CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) October 4, 2020

When you realise that your victory celebration will be used against you for the rest of your career.

Ala's expression just about sums it up… #LBL
📸 Getty pic.twitter.com/kzwr6KmBP2

— Daniel Ostanek (@LVCKV) October 4, 2020

Oh my word

— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) October 4, 2020

If the last month has shown anything about Rogla, it’s that he’s got the heart to never give up. Class #LBL

— Racejunkie (@racejunkieblog) October 4, 2020

🇧🇪 #LBL

And beer of course🤤🍺 pic.twitter.com/MgXuzAJ2Qh

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) October 4, 2020

I LOVE how crazy Belgium is for cycling. 4 airport staff have asked me how the racing went (they’re all very concerned for @GregvanAvermaet). Plus, the woman who checked my passport is @Gino_vo’s cousin 😂

— Ben King (@BenKing89) October 5, 2020

Oh LouLou

The mighty Jered Gruber was at Liege and caught (possibly) the moment that Alaphilippe realised he was relegated.

View this post on Instagram

Alaphilippe crossed the line all uproarious joy and celebration – and after realizing it might be possible to shoot him from a distance after the finish (remember: COVID), I followed. A chance to shoot the World Champion after winning his first LBL? In 2020? Cool! ⁣ ⁣ When I got there, he didn’t look all that happy though. Maybe he had already celebrated. Maybe this winning thing was just getting normal. Maybe his stomach hurt. ⁣ ⁣ Or maybe he hadn’t won at all. That didn’t cross my mind for another 15 minutes. ⁣ ⁣ I don’t know if it was announced over the unbelievably loud speakers blaring directly in my ears, but I had zero idea that Roglic was the winner until I was taking pictures of him giving his winner interview. ⁣ ⁣ I didn’t know that Alaphilippe had been relegated until he didn’t show up on the podium. ⁣ ⁣ It’s wild how little it’s possible to know when you’re right there in the middle of it.

A post shared by Jered Gruber (@jeredgruber) on Oct 5, 2020 at 1:32am PDT

Not the best day for #TheWolfpack at #LBL, but we promise to come back stronger!
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/XK1saR2bdW

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) October 4, 2020

"If I'm lip reading correctly he said 'plus tard' which means 'too hard' or 'too bad'" well no it doesn't and he deffo said 'putain'

— Tilda (@matildaprice_) October 4, 2020

Pogacar face palm for Julian 😂 pic.twitter.com/YVqlgKz85y

— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) October 4, 2020

Recommend this on Alaphilippe, normally so clinical, but lacked lucidity in the Liège finale https://t.co/OzPvdiWASc

— Peter Cossins (@petercossins) October 5, 2020

The gruppetto

Possibly the one time we’ve seen Wout Van Aert in pain this season – and he’s funny too! Be still my beating heart!

You’re welcome. I saw you were running out of content 😉

— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) October 5, 2020

Another LouLou

5 years ago – happy anniversary @louloufuglsang 😍 Love you more than ever and more for every day that passes. Feel lucky to have you as my wife and best friend… ❤️ https://t.co/u68bLmjQPu

— Jakob Fuglsang (@jakob_fuglsang) October 3, 2020

Adam Hansen is going back to triathlons. Alex Dowsett investigates …

So what you’re saying is you’ve done 15years, give or take in the World tour as training to improve your bike leg? I mean, I’m not sure even Jan Frodeno is that committed…. https://t.co/blsEbCGoZS

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) October 4, 2020

29 grand tours, carried away is a bit of an understatement 😂

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) October 4, 2020

🤣 Sagan just being Sagan. Took the wrong road after yesterday's stage and asked some fans for help to find the right way.#Giro #Giro103 #PeterSagan #MagliaAzzurra 💙https://t.co/nXRGVzu6sk

— Peter SagFan (@Peter_SagFan) October 5, 2020

Possibly the most disturbing podium background ever. PhilGil looming over the winners.

Another La Philippe Gilbert Juniors race done & dusted! Very proud at my fan club for organizing this edition in very tough conditions. A big thank you to all volunteers and sponsors for making this possible! Congrats to 2nd stage winner @LabrosseJordan & GC winner Arnaud De Lie! pic.twitter.com/exkG5GCVRx

— PHILIPPE GILBERT (@PhilippeGilbert) October 3, 2020

Today's Volta a Portugal stage goes through *checks notes*, the Middle Ages? https://t.co/QOPFx9TTqC

— tom owen (@tomowencc) October 3, 2020

Muur the merciless

Movistar guy: "Race in Flanders, they said … it will be fun, they said …" https://t.co/wKWwMtCOOo

— Lukas Knöfler (@lukascph) October 3, 2020

Nothing sadder than a lone Movistar on the Muur. pic.twitter.com/0PYWNyXD27

— Jens Hagström (@jenscer) October 3, 2020

Apparently the race had a lull … leave it to DQS social media manager to give us some food for thought.

The fact that the snake couldn’t be tamed by the power of men led to them being represented in many cultures, Eastern and Western, in a bad light, despite its early favourable symbolism.

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) October 3, 2020