On top of that, fans are back on the road side – the climax of which was the recent World Championships in Leuven where the crowds were out in full force, creating an incredible spectacle. This also means that interactions between fans and riders are back, and some of them have become the funniest moments of the season.
Let’s touch on some of these as well as other moments that have left us laughing throughout 2021.
That Primož Roglič song
Although this year’s Tour de France will be one to forget for Roglič, the Slovenian was given a viral hit to remember by the YouTube channel, Tour de Tietema. They produced another catchy tune – following their Wout van Aert and Dylan Groenewegen hits in previous years – that harked back to the Jumbo-Visma rider’s days as a ski jumper.
Not only is the original video firmly tongue in cheek, but Roglič himself got involved with the trio in France, performing the dance alongside his family. This was all captured by Tour de Tietema, creating a funny and heart-warming tale from what was a sad time for Roglic.
Apologies if it is stuck in your head again!
Llama drama
As ever with cycling, animals make plenty of cameos throughout the season. There is a ton to pick from, but perhaps the most iconic happened at this year’s Tour de France. Without context, this image raises far more questions than answers. Who brings a llama to a race and how did the cameraman get it to stand so still?
Whichever way you look at it, the surprise for TV viewers during the Tour was huge and for that reason, this has to be the best animal-based image of the year.
Trek Segafredo’s Milan-San Remo celebration
For Jasper Stuyven, winning this year’s Milan-San Remo will always be a career highlight, and unless he wins one of his home monuments, it will be the biggest victory of his life. And that emotion was captured beautifully after the race when, on the team bus, Stuyven was greeted by his teammates with the song Link Rechts by Snollebollekes, a classic cycling anthem.
But what follows is almost art. The team try to join in on the team bus and follow the Belgian’s dance moves with all of them awkwardly out of time. To their credit, they all join in, including a confused-looking Vincenzo Nibali.
In any case, this light-hearted moment capped off an incredible day for the 29-year-old Stuyven and we are just happy the celebrations were caught on camera.
Can’t get enough of cyclists dancing to that song, how about this featuring Lucinda Brand?
Netflix tricks
The popular Movistar documentary on the Spanish team has been a success, not just because of its insights into the squad but because of the tragic humour that follows. This season, the internet went crazy on the final stage of La Vuelta as Miguel Angel Lopez blew up, quit the race in rage and left the team, rejoining Astana. This moment has everyone anticipating the third series of the show to find out what exactly happened on that fateful day. This tragic comedy with Movistar and Netflix continues, but fans can’t stop watching.
Stretched to the max
And finally, we head back to Trek-Segafredo, always worth a follow on social media, as we check in with Edward Theuns at this year’s Paris-Nice.
It has been a crazy year of racing in the peloton and with Roubaix and Il Lombardia still to come, we are set for a fantastic climax to the season.
Although there is a lot of racing and the riders are getting stuck into the racing, it is always great to see their personalities as well as what other people in the cycling community can do to make us smile and laugh about this wonderful sport.
Here’s to more laughs in 2022.
