Tweets of the week: GC Sepp Kuss vs Jumbo-Visma breaks the internet
Did we see a team cowed into making a tactical decision because of social media? Maybe
The last week of this year's Vuelta a España looked like it might be quite a dull affair. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) had over two and a half minutes on his nearest non-Jumbo challenger, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) in fourth, and looked solid in red.
It was not a dull affair. Four days later, and the American just about still looks secure in red, but not without extraordinary drama this week, drama wholly created from within Jumbo-Visma. First there was stage 16, where Jonas Vingegaard took a minute on his teammates Kuss and Primož Roglič to leapfrog the latter into third; then there was stage 17, the really weird day, when Roglič and Vingegaard rode away from their teammate and race leader to gain more time on him.
The whole thing was very, very strange. As I explored earlier this week, one wonders if this was the harmonious team image Jumbo-Visma wants to present to the world, especially as a team searching for a title sponsor for next year. If the team is going to be so dominant, why not do it in a more photogenic way? Comments by Vingegaard, and Roglič in particular, have not helped our view on the situation.
The reason why this is relevant to Tweets of the Week is that the situation created an outpouring of takes and memes on social media, a tsunami mostly in favour of Kuss' general classification charge, or GC Kuss as he or it has come to be known.
Between stage 17 and 18, things seemed very fraught, with Escape reporting that things were very awkward at the Jumbo hotel. A crisis meeting was held, with the plan for stage 18, and possible the rest of the race, decided; the team would ride for Kuss, and Vingegaard and Roglič would support this.
Is it possible that the decision to ride for Kuss came from the overwhelming social media pressure? It doesn't seem too outlandish. Every Jumbo-Visma tweet on Tuesday and Wednesday was inundated with GC Kuss propaganda, or messages lambasting the Dutch team for their confusing tactics. I wouldn't rule out that team tactics were decided by Twitter/X/online pressure.
Anyway, this weeks social media roundup is dominated by the memes that came out of the GC Kuss saga, but there is also Annemiek van Vleuten on a horse, Luke Rowe downing a beer at the Tour of Britain, and a Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome reunion.
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1. Jacopo Guarnieri knows what bike racing is all about
Definitely this Vuelta is producing a large amount of memesSeptember 14, 2023
2. Nothing wrong with silver
A post shared by Jerry Tall - Masters Threat (@40plusmemes)
A photo posted by on
3. My favourite fresco
A post shared by i_simp_alaphilippe (@i_simp_alaphilippe)
A photo posted by on
4. At one point on the Angliru, it did seem like life was pointless
A post shared by Sven Wout Van Der Pontoni (@meme_handups)
A photo posted by on
5. You're gonna let me win this one, right?
A post shared by sticky bike memes (@sticky_bidons)
A photo posted by on
6. It was heartbreaking
A post shared by sticky bike memes (@sticky_bidons)
A photo posted by on
7. The meme that refuses to die
A post shared by Midweek Cycling Club (@midweekcycling)
A photo posted by on
8. One future American at Jumbo-Visma made his feelings very clear on Wednesday
GOOO SEPPPPPPPPSeptember 13, 2023
9. There were some very unhappy people on Twitter
Good morning traitors. How many knives do you have for GC Kuss today.September 14, 2023
10. By Thursday, the PR machine had kicked in to make sure everything looked rosy. Blair and Brown, they were best friends forever, right?
Jumbo Visma today pic.twitter.com/PiHHWNEAUmSeptember 14, 2023
11. Jumbo-Visma, 1-2-3 on general classification, is only able to be stopped by err the Spanish police?
That’s a way to beat Jumbo Visma.September 14, 2023
12. We were being played by Jumbo the whole time
A post shared by Jerry Tall - Masters Threat (@40plusmemes)
A photo posted by on
13. There are many reasons to love Sepp Kuss, but his dog with its accreditation is right up there. He should win the Vuelta for that alone
🐶 Nuevo miembro del staff de @JumboVismaRoad 🐶A new member of the Jumbo Visma staff#LaVuelta23 pic.twitter.com/ItjVYl95clSeptember 10, 2023
14. Away from the Spanish Grand Tour and GC Kuss, Annemiek van Vleuten reveals how she got so good in the saddle - by, err, riding a horse
A post shared by Annemiek van Vleuten (@annemiekvanvleuten)
A photo posted by on
15. Luke Rowe having the time of his life on the final stage of the Tour of Britain, downing a Corona with his brother, in a dress. Naturally
How’s the beer, @LukeRowe1990? 🍺 #TourOfBritain 🔴🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/zUjma6jkSxSeptember 10, 2023
16. SD Worx, the hippest group out of the Netherlands, has an album dropping soon
A post shared by Christine Majerus (@c_majerus)
A photo posted by on
17. Does Mark Cavendish crash, does he swerve off road? What's going on here, I have no idea
A post shared by Chris Froome (@chrisfroome)
A photo posted by on
18. Finally, I love this tweet for digging down into the absurdity of professional cycling. Imagine being a hotel manager and suddenly Alpecin-Deceuninck turn up with 10 mattresses
Cycling teams have gotta be one of the weirdest hotel guests. "Can we make a booking for 20 people""Sure, let me just check our availability...""We'll bring our own mattresses""Um...okay?" https://t.co/45LpcxPhCLSeptember 11, 2023
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Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.
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