And, breathe. After the mayhem of the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes, then the endless super-World Championships, we all needed a week off. It's silly season, come on! We need to do more talking about *checks notes* how important Max Walscheid to Jayco-AlUla is. However, the world of cycling never stops, not really.
This week we had the bleak news that former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman received a four-year doping ban for his role in ordering banned substances to the governing body’s HQ in 2011, and that German cyclist Michel Hessmann has been provisionally suspended by his team, Jumbo-Visma, after he returned a positive anti-doping test result.
Tweets of the Week, then, is here to cheer you up and remind you that cycling is really, really silly a lot of the time, and not always dark and serious. Good for you if you're broadly ignoring the Tour of Denmark, Vuelta a Burgos and the Arctic Race of Norway - it's AUGUST for goodness sake, go outside and enjoy the sun rain.
In this edition, we have riders wheelie-ing at the World Championships, Lotte Kopecky on a slightly older bike than she could be, the Ineos Grenadiers looking thrilled about a mid-table French football team, and Primož Roglič getting the taste of Jumbo-Visma medicine.
1. The Volta a Portugal has had its problems in recent years - most notably the doping scandals around the W52-FC Porto team - so it's no wonder it's trying to shakeup its image by err, having riders drinking beer during the race. Marc Madiot would approve of the beer, Richard Plugge would not.
Volta a Portugal is just a different world. A better one. pic.twitter.com/xGYK2dc20sAugust 17, 2023
2. Marlen Reusser was understandably nervous to come back onto social media after she pulled out of the World Championships, but everything turned out fine, apparently. A good news story! We wish the Swiss ace all the best. (Just don't look at the Twitter accounts of the worst men)
3. I can't wheelie to save my life. I especially could not wheelie on a hill, in front of baying spectators. Absolutely fair play to Aubin Sparfel, who did it all
4. For all the noise around the new Specialized SL8, Lotte Kopecky won the World Championships road race on the SL7. What does that tell us? Probably nothing. Still, fun
5. A thought for the poor route designers. Both the men's and women's elite road races were thrilling events, which was down to the riders and also the course. However, their carefully planned route came in for a lot of heat from the riders, both before and after. It was good!! It was good.
#GlasgowScotland2023 Digital HQ right now: https://t.co/7aalrwBG7B pic.twitter.com/8QOaFxSmcvAugust 13, 2023
6. Coo fever might have now dissipated, but I love that people were buying them just to have around the house. They are adorable.
7. Look, maybe Thymen Arensman, Geraint Thomas, Ben Turner and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot are huge OGC Nice fans. Somehow, I doubt it. Thomas was only briefly interested thanks to Aaron Ramsey's presence, but he's gone to Cardiff City now, so even that's a stretch. The Eaglets finished ninth in Ligue 1 last season, so here's to another great season being sponsored by Ineos!
8. Great stuff, good Scottish reference, shame Wout could not get onto the top step of the podium.
This must be the best image from the worlds. Top marks, no notes. @WoutvanAert #GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/zgZcs0SciZAugust 11, 2023
9. It was a great World Championships for British Cycling and GB - this film will give you just a bit of a flavour of the success the squad enjoyed.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵...?Two weeks ago the @CyclingWorlds got underway, and we never dreamt it would go like this. 🥹 #GlasgowScotland2023 | #BritishCycling pic.twitter.com/NuM7ttYpUkAugust 17, 2023
10. Mads Pedersen is a BIG DEAL in Denmark, ok? If you needed any proof, he's being mobbed like The Beatles in 1964 here.
Mads mobbed in Vejen, send help 🙏 #PNDKR23 pic.twitter.com/A7XOytvFzXAugust 17, 2023
11. Ben Tulett is off to Jumbo-Visma. This signing announcement, though, leaves a lot to be desired. I don't even think it really works? Ah well.
Can you guess our new signing? 🤔Thanks for borrowing your rebus @NOSsport. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/v4fDywORWRAugust 17, 2023
12. Currently, Ineos Grenadiers has just 15 riders contracted for next season. Maybe it's the year of Connor Swift?
Euhm… @INEOSGrenadiers, you good? pic.twitter.com/5B41bbocWsAugust 17, 2023
13. I love mascots at races, they're always nonsensical. I've often wondered what they do in their downtime, which apparently is loll about next to the podium. I love the fear on the man's face that he's about to get in trouble for removing the panda head.
Ever seen a headless panda panic? #PNDKR23 pic.twitter.com/PKQipnlTGaAugust 17, 2023
14. Primož Roglič now knows how Tadej Pogačar felt at last year's Tour: ganged up on. However, the Slovenian still triumphed, impressively.
Roglic can feel it. #VueltaBurgos (Galibier, Tour de France 2022 | Picon Blanco, Vuelta a Burgos 2023) pic.twitter.com/cr79KgZj6fAugust 17, 2023
15. Roglič is the best stage racer of his generation. It's only because he hasn't won the Tour de France that he's not thought of as the best, but I don't think that should matter as much as it does...
😳 https://t.co/cB6btjvT71 pic.twitter.com/2h9mAXCvjgAugust 17, 2023
