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Cycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly
Sport
Adam Becket

Tweets of the week: Julian Alaphilippe at the football, Lorena Wiebes flips, and Tom Pidcock hates beer

Tom Pidcock with a beer.

After the rather news-heavy time that we had on social media, thanks to Cian Uijtdebroeks, it was a much quieter time on cycling social media this week, as I suppose you would expect in the run up to Christmas.

Still, there's enough content for a not really festive edition of Tweets of the week, with highlights including the fun time Soudal Quick-Step and SD Worx seem to be having on their respective training camps - I want to go to the football with Julian Alaphilippe and attempt a backflip on a beach with Lorena Wiebes. What a day out that would be.

What I want to focus on, however, is Tom Pidcock and Puck Pieterse's differing approaches to drinking beer. They were both presented with a delicious glass of Kwaremont after making the podium at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Namur last weekend, a just reward (Pidcock won, and Pieterse came second, by the way).

However, it was what they did with their beers that gave me pause. Pieterse downed hers in one, while Pidcock took a sip and grimaced. Now, the former world champion doesn't really drink, so I assume that beer isn't his thing, but it seems a shame that he can't enjoy the delights of a nice Belgian blonde. If he has any going spare, do send it my way.

1. Certatizit-WNT's Franziska Brauße looks about as happy as I would be if I'd just won an omnium, then been given a stetson and a fancy throne to sit in

2. Mathieu van der Poel is a world champion cyclist, but his parking could do with some work

3. Soudal Quick-Step visited the football and Julian Alaphilippe got to be the best version of himself. You'd be annoyed if he was sat in front of you, though. Valencia drew 1-1 with Barcelona, incidentally

4. Puck Pieterse, multi-discipline star, and also excellent at downing beer. What a way to get through a glass of the 6.6% Kwaremont

5. Meanwhile, Tom Pidcock needs to take some lessons from Puck. I know you don't drink, Tom, and that's one of the many reason why you're a world-class bike rider and I'm just some guy, but that is good beer you're wasting

6. Josh Tarling might be one of the best time trialists in the world, what with being European champion and everything, but he also looks like a little boy. That is my observation.

7. Happy birthday to Lizzie Deignan. It's a shame that this clip wasn't constantly on our screens at the Vuelta, I want to see the camera's view

8. You won't see anything more pure than Emma Finucane's reaction to winning BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year

9. Congrats to Philippe Gilbert on what might be the most boring tweet of all time. Thanks to the police for stopping me? Sure.

10. Wilfried Peeters and Davide Bramati look like mean goalkeepers, but it's a shame that the players aren't allowed to join in the football - although for obvious reasons. Not sure I can see Patrick Lefevere being particularly happy with all his riders suffering from knocks come January

11. What better way to show off the new SD Worx kit, Lorena, than for you to jump seemingly quite high in the air? It's quite the pose

12. After we discussed SD Worx's ski training camp and its dangers last week, it's Lorena Wiebes turn to do something terrifying for social media. Yes you're a great athlete, yes it's on a beach, but I'm scared just watching it

13. After a record-breaking dominant year, all SD Worx riders are going to have to tow Niamh Fisher-Black around with them as a handicap

14. Cycling downhill is fun, right

15. Quick photo please, Primož! Smile! No? Ok, well at least we've got a story

16. The off season content we didn't know we needed. Ben Turner needs some practice

17. We end where we began, with Ceratizit-WNT. I hope that everyone involved agreed to this... Merry Christmas!

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