Tweets of the week: Peter Sagan topless on the slopes and Zoe Bäckstedt's adorable cousin
It's a new year but the social media pipeline keeps churning out content, here's some of the best for your enjoyment
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Happy New Year from all of us at Cycling Weekly's Tweets of the Week department. We've had a busy time of it over the Christmas and New Year period, sorting out the good takes from the bad takes, and generally sifting through the mountains of content that have been produced by bored professional cyclists as they sit around at home during the festive season.
It might be 2023, but Twitter and Instagram are still the places to go if you want to see behind the scenes of cycling, from how Zoe Bäckstedt's cousin reacts when she sees her on television, to how 32-year-old treats 23-year-old Tom Pidcock at Ineos training camps (the answer is immaturely).
With the WorldTour season approaching with pace thanks to the return of the Tour Down Under, there is still time to take a step back and appreciate some of the best posters in the cycling business. Oh, and there's Peter Sagan topless. What more could you want?
1. For some, the off season means relaxing. For Mauri Vansevenant, it means looking after calves, obviously. And by calves, I don't mean his skinny climbing legs, but young cows. Why he is feeding her from a Coke bottle, I don't know, but this is adorable
Off-season activities for @MVansevenant99 😁 pic.twitter.com/mOpPfwxXg6December 22, 2022
2. If you've ever been stuck somewhere without a bottle opener, as I frequently am, it turns out you can use SPD-SL cleats to open beer with. What a useful little life hack. I'm sure Look Keo cleats would work too, but it's unlikely you'll get anything out of Speedplays
Only one way to open a Belgian beer.Merry Christmas! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/opEtri40nCDecember 24, 2022
3. I am not, and never will be, a professional athlete. However, is this really how juvenile team training camps are? Poor Tom Pidcock for falling for 32-year-old Luke Rowe's nasty trick
A post shared by Luke Rowe (@lukerowe1990) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
4. Speaking of youth vs experience, Geraint Thomas still thinks he has the beating of riders 15 years his junior. If he catches them by surprise, obviously. Unlucky, Magnus Sheffield
2023. Time to keep the whippersnappers at bay for another season 🤣🤌 pic.twitter.com/V0pEKgTxSGJanuary 3, 2023
5. Team photoshoots are a bit of a mystery to me: are they always as fun as the riders make them look, or are they a bit of a chore? Here, Lotto-Dstny allow us behind the scenes to see Arnaud De Lie and Caleb Ewan work hard off the bike as well as on it
All dressed up to shine in his Dutch road champion jersey🤩How do you rate @PascalEenkhoorn his new outfit, designed by @VermarcSport?🔥Left: the actual image. Right: the guys we used for the making of 😉 pic.twitter.com/i08c2oKGAbJanuary 2, 2023
6. Peter Sagan is only 32, soon to be 33, but he gives big mid-life crisis energy. I guess this is what happens when your best years happened in your mid-to-late 20s. Cold.
Peter Sagan revealed his new kit for 2023. pic.twitter.com/nkFRrmLrJEJanuary 1, 2023
7. Speaking of Sagan, it looks like he's got his next career sorted - as some kind of Father Christmas for hire
A post shared by Peter Sagan (@petosagan) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
8. Father Christmas actually had quite a rough ride to get to everyone's houses this year; who knew he went over the pavé on his sleigh?
Joyeux Noël ! 🤣🎅 pic.twitter.com/UmIC5igStpDecember 25, 2022
9. It seems like Chris Boardman does not love Zwift
No subscription or App needed. 🎄🎄 #freedommachine pic.twitter.com/JDYFsyCLfWDecember 26, 2022
10. Tom Southam is ready for next summer's Ashes, as is his daughter. Are you?
A post shared by tomsoutham (@tomsoutham) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
11. Skiing with Alison Jackson looks like it would be fun. To be fair, doing anything with Alison Jackson would probably be fun, such is her vivacious personality
A post shared by tomsoutham (@tomsoutham) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
12. Shout out to Zoe Bäckstedt's biggest fan, her little cousin. I love the enthusiasm
Find someone that looks at you the way my cousin looks at me after a race 🥹😍🥰🫶📍 Gavere p4📍 Diegem p7 pic.twitter.com/3xF7dyL86IDecember 30, 2022
13. The British track women's squad went diving; if that doesn't motivate you to try something new in 2023 I don't know what will
Nervous about trying something new? Sometimes you just have to dive right in! 🏊@SophieECapewell challenges you to take the plunge and smash something new this week! 👊#NewYearInGear pic.twitter.com/6imEvlIgk3January 2, 2023
14. Here's Ella Harris with an inspirational story
1. STORY TIME: As I was rolling out my driveway this morning, I looked to the right and saw a cyclist standing on the corner of my street. This was slightly odd given that there aren’t many cyclists in the area, nor is my street a common route choice.December 31, 2022
15. Frankie, the late Michele Scarponi's parrot, looks like he's still attracted to the aqua Astana kit
What a video! Gianmarco Garofoli and @AntonioNibali met Frankie, passing Filottrano, home town of Michele Scarponi… #SempreConNoi #MicheleScarponi pic.twitter.com/uQPhgbD0TzJanuary 2, 2023
16. Congrats to Jade Wiel and all involved at FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope for the coolest photo of all time
🆕🚲 pic.twitter.com/cxT89yjVFbJanuary 4, 2023
17. Finally, apparently Fabio Jakobsen and Michael Mørkøv are the sultans of swing. Who knew?
A post shared by Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstepteam) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
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Adam is Cycling Weekly’s senior news and feature writer – 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, speaking to people as varied as Demi Vollering to Philippe Gilbert. 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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