Robyn’s Extremely Online Round-up #9: ‘JAAAAAAAA’

Welcome back to yet another version of my Really Online collection! It appears to be like just previous week we experienced #8.

We have been notching up the testimonials at Bicycle owner, from the Café du Cycliste Petra gilet to the Sportful Fiandre Medium jacket. 

I also caught up with Larry Warbasse as the American enters his 10th 12 months as a professional.

We mentioned variations in the peloton in excess of the decades, his #1 purpose for the 2022 year, and his penchant for comprehensive Uber Eats analysis. 

Now, let’s get into this week’s Very On the net series showcasing Tim Merlier, Geraint Thomas and a full good deal of JAAAAAAAs.

Oh mama, Merlier

The challenge with generating a person (1) error as a expert cyclist is how immediately individuals on social media can react to it.

Absent are the days when you would have a day to escape the warmth by way of a phase report in the subsequent morning’s newspaper.

Tim Merlier discovered his notifications lights up at Scheldeprijs – and not for the cause he would’ve preferred.

Soon after ending his sprint, the 9th put rider started to head again to his crew bus.

On GCN comms, Magnus Backstedt and Carlton Kirby highlighted the danger right before the assumed crossed Merlier’s intellect.

‘That’s likely not the smartest thing to do’ claimed Backstedt.

This is the kind of insightful commentary I pay back for.

Merlier saw the incoming hazard in the type of a mass sprint heading straight in his direction, prior to quickly unclipping and lifting his bicycle about the barrier.

With not even a 2nd to spare, the Alpecin-Fenix rider put his cyclocross techniques to the examination and jumped, sitting exceptionally awkwardly right before hoisting his legs about and heading again to his group.

He later on apologised for the incident on Twitter, indicating he’d thought all riders had crossed the line. 

The very little bastard <3

Self-awareness is a wonderful thing.

A 7.5km time-trial awaited riders on the opening stage of Itzulia.

Geraint Thomas is no stranger to against-the-clock victory, winning the opening stage TT to wear the Tour de France yellow jersey in 2017 followed by national time trial championships success in 2018.

But then you remember people like Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel exist.

As expected, the two topped the general classification at the end of the day, Roglič beating the QuickStep Alpha Vinyl rider by five seconds.

Thomas finished in fourth place behind Rémi Cavagna.

But all’s fair in love and war. Even if you’re a little bastard*

*The views of Geraint Thomas are not shared by all at Cyclist. But I also didn’t ask everyone. 

When I say I’m having ‘just the one’

Prizes are a hot topic within cycling recently. From a free vibrator to garden gnome or golden trident, the possibilities are endless.

Almost as endless as the beer at the Amstel Gold Race.

When Marta Cavalli and Michał Kwiatkowski won their races (it took a while for the Ineos Grenadiers man to eventually be declared the winner, much to the dismay of poor Cosnefroy), they were faced with picking up a gigantic glass after a lengthy day in the saddle.

An interesting task when cyclists aren’t known for their upper body strength. 

But as someone whose tastebuds actively reject beer, when’s the race dedicated to rosé or even a nice bottle of 19 Crimes? Now that I’d participate in.

JAAAAAAAAs tweeted moments before disaster

Speaking of Benoît Cosnefroy, the heartbreak of his snatched-back victory in a two-man sprint was equally felt by Oliver Naesen.

His AG2R teammate watched the debacle unfold, tweeting his thoughts in real-time (professional cyclists… just like us!)

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Kwiatkowski’s teammate Laurens De Plus then joined in to celebrate the delayed victory for his teammate much to the detriment of Naesen.

But Larry Warbasse revealed in our chat the other week that Cosnefroy would be a man to watch at the Tour de France. With teammates like this, who needs Amstel Gold?

Special shoutout: Mechanics

In the last Extremely Online article (which you’ve read, right?!) we discussed the possibility of a whole episode dedicated to penis napkins in the upcoming Tour de France Netflix series.

EF Education-EasyPost took it one step further, recreating the Drive to Survive pit stop titles for the show.

The back wheel change and bidon replacement won’t exactly win the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award – recently awarded to Red Bull in Melbourne through their fastest time of 2.27s with Perez – but it’s still fun nevertheless.

See you next week!