Tweets of the week: A bumper World Championships edition
The birds don't stop attacking Bauke Mollema, and Ellen van Dijk wants chocolate, not gold
Twas the Friday before the elite road races, and all along the course, not a creature was stirring, apart from the birds which keep attacking Bauke Mollema. Sorry to mangle Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem there, but it is time to get properly excited about the men and women racing for the rainbow bands this weekend.
Before we get there, here is a special bumper edition of Tweets of the Week to keep you going before you wake up in the early hours to watch the races on Saturday and Sunday.
We paused last week, so that's why there is so much content to glance over; some of it is quite good, I promise.
This week, we have the birds, the constant birds, Elisa Longo Borghini losing her mind about people messing up Italian cuisine, Intermarché producing Adam Levine memes, and so, so much more.
1. We start off with a lovely moment - a moment of reconciliation between Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen, two riders connected by a terrible incident
This photo reconciles anger, fear, guilt, shame and so many hidden feelings and conflicting emotions. Heals my soul. 📸 @SprintCycling captures winner Fabio Jakobsen in a lovely gesture with Dylan Groenewegen’s son in the podium of the Flanders Championship. pic.twitter.com/jM3iSbBjE0September 22, 2022
2. Who is Michael Leonard? How much does he weigh? What's his net worth? How tall is he?
To avoid confusion, this is not the Michael Leonard who finished 112th in the Rás in 2015, but the one who finished 4th at the Giro di Primavera this year https://t.co/GAR2eEQ9OnSeptember 22, 2022
3. Bauke Mollema has not had a great week in Wollongong, what with a mechanical in the TTT and the constant attention of Australian birds
Remake > original(Sorry @BaukeMollema, we had to do it 😜)#Wollongong2022 pic.twitter.com/elwGp4NbAPSeptember 21, 2022
4. It is not just Mollema who has faced the ire of the winged creatures
Hopefully I make it to the start line tomorrow with these Magpie attacks 🤕😂 @UCI_cycling @RochelleGilmore @wollongong2022 pic.twitter.com/EdAMSD5QoLSeptember 23, 2022
5. Annemiek van Vleuten might have crashed and put her road race chances in doubt, but at least she has a funny picture
Back from hospital Wollongong (super support there🙏!). Stable fracture elbow, no surgery needed. I am allowed to ride my bike, but depends on pain and needs to be sensible. Hope I can sleep. At least I can already laugh about this picture 🤣😉⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xCIEVDEcthSeptember 21, 2022
6. It was a week that started off so much better for the flying Dutchwoman, nothing like a tow from Mathieu van der Poel
Today practise team relay! After a coffee stop our guys did some 'moto pacing' for @ellenvdijk and me back to our hotel. Thanks guys for bringing us fast home 😉😅 @mathieuvdpoel @BaukeMollema pic.twitter.com/O5okgNL5w1September 20, 2022
7. It is quite scary that people born in 2004 are this good at cycling
5 years ago in the National Trophy Series cyclocross U14: 🇬🇧 Josh Tarling and 🇬🇧 Zoe Backstedt. 5 years later World Champions 🌈#Wollongong2022 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/ytgZZmWtJISeptember 20, 2022
8. Ellen van Dijk might be world champion for a third time, but all she wants is chocolate
Look at me wishing it's a chocolate medal😋#wollongong22 pic.twitter.com/SDuV8hz7cISeptember 19, 2022
9. Filippo Ganna was very honest about his performance in last weekend's time trial, labelling it the flop of the year. Let's hope his Hour Record goes better
“Sembra che un settimo posto sia il flop dell’anno, semplicemente le gambe non giravano. Mi dispiace aver fatto svegliare amici e tifosi in Italia”Le parole di @GannaFilippo via @Federciclismo (e no, nemmeno questa volta Pippo cerca scuse) pic.twitter.com/2BcASl8GlYSeptember 18, 2022
10. Rick Zabel, cyclist, son of a legend, entertainer?
A post shared by Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett)
A photo posted by on
11. Do not butcher Italian food in front of Elisa Longo Borghini, she will be mad
My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/wyQHdekZTeSeptember 16, 2022
12. Remember to work out who actually won before congratulating your teammate
Tole je gold 🤣 pic.twitter.com/L4N85ezFEZSeptember 12, 2022
13. Look, Remco Evenepoel might have just won the Vuelta a España, the first Belgian to win a Grand Tour in 44 years, but now he is really winning, with a new speaker. Err
Huge congratulations to @EvenepoelRemco for winning the Vuelta a España with @qst_alphavinyl. We think the new Beosound Balance in Natural Aluminium will fit in well on your trophy shelf.#BeosoundBalance#BangOlufsen pic.twitter.com/wlOYs18BbQSeptember 15, 2022
14. Imagine turning up for a local race and Wout van Aert just being there. I'd give up
This is cool! @NVHooydonck @WoutvanAert @yveslampaert @Jasperstuyven and @dewulfst getting around a local Aussie clubbie pic.twitter.com/SOlOSdg2gUSeptember 15, 2022
15. Ellen van Dijk is funny! For those who don't remember, she won some, err, interesting prizes for winning the EasyToys Bloeizone Fryslân Tour earlier this year. She does not need more
Thanks for the offer Leyuto, but we are still figuring out how to use the stuff from the @EasytoysNL kit we got in the @BloeizoneFrTour. So we are good for now! https://t.co/kFTMClhuPvSeptember 23, 2022
16. Someone give the Intermarché social media person a raise! This is actually funny. Congrats
Adam Levine reaction when he saw Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert in 4th place of the UCI World Ranking pic.twitter.com/lPvvN1NOSNSeptember 22, 2022
17. It was a sad day for Leo Hayter in Wollongong, as documented by his dad
Update : he didn’t cheer up 😀 https://t.co/5ok1RoMfEUSeptember 23, 2022
18. Imagine walking into a barber and asking for a Geraint Thomas or a Marc Soler. You might have to take a picture. I'm not going to do it, I'm busy working on getting my mullet back, but maybe you should. Go on, try it
Have Marc Soler and Geraint Thomas' haircuts ever been seen in the same room together? pic.twitter.com/KpiVq4ij3LSeptember 22, 2022
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