As 2023 winds down at last, and time inexorably marches on, we thought we would look back at the best social media posts of 2024, rather than just of this week. Most parts of the cycling world - apart from cyclo-cross, obviously - have had this last week off, so spectacular tweets are rather thin on the ground. Instead, here are some of the funniest, intriguing, and entertaining tweets and Instagram posts from cycling this year.
There are things I had forgotten even happened, like Filippo Ganna, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel sharing a two-seat sofa at Milan-Sanremo for some strange reason, and the AI version of Jonas Vingegaard which Jumbo-Visma produced to announce his contract extension. It feels like it's from a different year.
There are also moments that very much do still loom large in my mind, like the whole mania over GC Sepp Kuss and his Vuelta a España tilt, and coo-mania at the World Championships in August. Take a trip down memory lane with some of the best of social media from 2023. Have a good new year!
1. Who remembers the tiny couch for the podium at Milan-Sanremo? An absolute classic, and we will simply never know if or what the three talked about. Iconic.
2. Geraint Thomas coined a nickname for Remco Evenepoel: "little bastard". The Belgian seemed to not mind it, though
3. The creepiest thing we saw all year was AI Jonas Vingegaard when Jumbo-Visma announced the Dane was getting a new contract. Not because Vingegaard is creepy, but the AI Macaulay Culkin-y video that Jumbo made for him made my skin crawl
4. Alison Jackson kept up her one-woman mission to bring joy to the world of pro cycling through the mediums of song, dance, and TikToks. This particular Instragram Reel came after her historic victory at Paris-Roubaix in the spring, and her delight at winning proved that cycling does not have to be cold and emotionless
5. Thomas De Gendt is one of the best posters in the men's peloton, but we thought we'd pick out one particular highlight, when he tried to ape Tadej Pogačar. Sadly, it did not bring 17 wins for the Belgian
6. One of the standout riders of the Giro d'Italia was Charlie Quarterman, who not only was in a breakaway seemingly every day, but did his best to keep people entertained on Twitter too. Sadly, he has now retired, but he'll always have the Giro.
7. Also at the Giro, Thibaut Pinot decided to be a bit snide for fun. This post created some online beef between Jonathan Vaughters and Lance Armstrong, too, which was briefly diverting
8. As well as arguably being the best cyclist in the world, Tadej Pogačar is also a fantastic user of social media, as proved by this collaboration with Urska Zigart, his partner. He's fun!
9. In August, the world of cycling descended on Glasgow and Scotland, more broadly. It was a lot of fun, but my personal highlight was Michael Matthews taking a swig of Tennents lager. Sadly, it didn't help him in the road race, which he didn't finish
10. The World Championships also brought with it stuffed Highland Cows, or "coos", which were given out on the podium of all events. They were adorable, and here's Stefan Küng talking about his coo
11. In September, the Tour of Britain returned, and the Tour de Tietema lads had the time of their life, racking up breakaways and generally livening up the race. Their social media game was pretty good, too
12. Then came the Vuelta a España, and the furore over Sepp Kuss's GC ambitions. The unassuming man from Durango went onto win the race, but not before his two Jumbo-Visma teammates seemed like they were racing him. The memes poured forth, and here are a couple of highlights
13. Lotte Kopecky is another candidate for best cyclist in the world, but she is also very entertaining, as you can see here - imagine how fast you could go on a beer bike tour if you had a world champion on board
14. Finally, a return to Pogačar as a festive treat. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!
