Finding Tumblr’s favourite cyclist. Run by @arriere-du-peloton
87 posts
It’s been a pleasure running this poll for you all, I hope you’ve all enjoyed voting and propagandising as much as I have.
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Look how pretty he is. Look how dad-shaped he is. Don’t make him sad.
I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t think he’s pretty. But he’s human. He’s fierce. He never gives up. He comes back from having a rag stuck in his chain to freaking winning races. He comes back from giving it his all in pulling to… pull again and leave all of his leader’s adversaries behind. He may not have won much this year, but he still gave 125% and it was a joy to see.
And
Most importantly
He’s kind!
He has kind eyes. He is friend-shaped. He is generous with his teammates. You can tell that, while he’s focused on himself (as every and all athletes), he never forgets that he is not alone in this, and he honors the other cyclists both from his team and the peloton as a whole. He doesn’t leave people behind. He passes on victories to reward the efforts they put in for him in past races.
He has honor and courage and class and panache. So so much panache.
He is, truly, my favourite cyclist.
All propaganda under the cut:
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
He is CUTE, he is SMOL, he has a CUTE NOSE and FRECKLES and EYES AS BLUE AS THE ENDLESS SKY---
OK no but seriously, he's amazing. As absurd as it can sound since this is one of the best riders in the world, he's always the underdog in people's minds. Somehow, no one ever thinks "OK I think Jonas is going to win this stage today", and when he does, they're like "OK he won but he still wasn't out of this world, it's because the others were having a bad day", and when he has a stellar day they're like "HE'S DOPING FOR SURE". It's like nothing he ever does is good enough and YET he doesn't give a fuck and keeps performing despite the pressure.
Being consistently good when everyone expects you to win is talent, but being consistently good when everyone hopes you'll lose is something else too.
And he's an incredible human being to boot. He's kind, he's compassionate, he's sensitive, he doesn't have a mean bone in him, he's affectionate, thoughtful. Remember that time during TdF 2022 when he asked Grischa to tell him if he could slow down at the end of the TT to let Wout win the stage? Yeah. He's that kind of guy.
He's a crier. It's cute and it makes me want to hug him. He loves his family and he always has a good word for his rivals and he's humble and I relate so much to his introverted personality and he's a cinnamon roll and a cutie patootie. But when he puts on his sunglasses, he looks like A WAR MACHINE.
(but a cute one)
He got a lot of heat when he didn't wait for Sepp on the Angliru during this Vuelta, only the instructions of the team before that clusterfuck stage were to battle it out between them and he probably liked it even less than us because he wanted Sepp to win the Vuelta from the beginning.
And need I say anything about the absolute sportsmanship of this man? When he lost his balance in the Col of Spandelles, TdF 2022, Tadej didn't miss the opportunity and powered away from him, but when Tadej was the one who crashed two minutes later, he waited for him. HE WAITED FOR HIM.
And he made the sport all the better for it and gave us one of the finest images in cycling history.
if you like MvDP, consider that though in these days when van der Poel is showing up with a mullet, Jonas did long hair earlier and better.
though there has been a change of style
If you like WvA, consider that some of the BEST hug pictures only exist due to Jonas being the kind of teammate whom others want to hug AND eminently sized for hugs/lifts
(we've all seen this but we can look at it again)
He's got sportsmanship. He's got incredible skills. He's even a dad! Maybe he's not always good at smiling for the cameras but he can sure smile for his family
Most importantly, he's a TdF winner with the time trial of the year and he cannot ride his goddamn bike without hands without his body language screaming oh god someone help me
Jonas Vingegaard is through to the final!
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
He is CUTE, he is SMOL, he has a CUTE NOSE and FRECKLES and EYES AS BLUE AS THE ENDLESS SKY---
OK no but seriously, he's amazing. As absurd as it can sound since this is one of the best riders in the world, he's always the underdog in people's minds. Somehow, no one ever thinks "OK I think Jonas is going to win this stage today", and when he does, they're like "OK he won but he still wasn't out of this world, it's because the others were having a bad day", and when he has a stellar day they're like "HE'S DOPING FOR SURE". It's like nothing he ever does is good enough and YET he doesn't give a fuck and keeps performing despite the pressure.
Being consistently good when everyone expects you to win is talent, but being consistently good when everyone hopes you'll lose is something else too.
And he's an incredible human being to boot. He's kind, he's compassionate, he's sensitive, he doesn't have a mean bone in him, he's affectionate, thoughtful. Remember that time during TdF 2022 when he asked Grischa to tell him if he could slow down at the end of the TT to let Wout win the stage? Yeah. He's that kind of guy.
More under the cut:
He's a crier. It's cute and it makes me want to hug him. He loves his family and he always has a good word for his rivals and he's humble and I relate so much to his introverted personality and he's a cinnamon roll and a cutie patootie. But when he puts on his sunglasses, he looks like A WAR MACHINE.
(but a cute one)
He got a lot of heat when he didn't wait for Sepp on the Angliru during this Vuelta, only the instructions of the team before that clusterfuck stage were to battle it out between them and he probably liked it even less than us because he wanted Sepp to win the Vuelta from the beginning.
And need I say anything about the absolute sportsmanship of this man? When he lost his balance in the Col of Spandelles, TdF 2022, Tadej didn't miss the opportunity and powered away from him, but when Tadej was the one who crashed two minutes later, he waited for him. HE WAITED FOR HIM.
And he made the sport all the better for it and gave us one of the finest images in cycling history.
if you like MvDP, consider that though in these days when van der Poel is showing up with a mullet, Jonas did long hair earlier and better.
though there has been a change of style
If you like WvA, consider that some of the BEST hug pictures only exist due to Jonas being the kind of teammate whom others want to hug AND eminently sized for hugs/lifts
(we've all seen this but we can look at it again)
He's got sportsmanship. He's got incredible skills. He's even a dad! Maybe he's not always good at smiling for the cameras but he can sure smile for his family
Most importantly, he's a TdF winner with the time trial of the year and he cannot ride his goddamn bike without hands without his body language screaming oh god someone help me
After a very closely-fought battle, Tadej Pogačar is through to the final!
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
He is CUTE, he is SMOL, he has a CUTE NOSE and FRECKLES and EYES AS BLUE AS THE ENDLESS SKY---
OK no but seriously, he's amazing. As absurd as it can sound since this is one of the best riders in the world, he's always the underdog in people's minds. Somehow, no one ever thinks "OK I think Jonas is going to win this stage today", and when he does, they're like "OK he won but he still wasn't out of this world, it's because the others were having a bad day", and when he has a stellar day they're like "HE'S DOPING FOR SURE". It's like nothing he ever does is good enough and YET he doesn't give a fuck and keeps performing despite the pressure.
Being consistently good when everyone expects you to win is talent, but being consistently good when everyone hopes you'll lose is something else too.
And he's an incredible human being to boot. He's kind, he's compassionate, he's sensitive, he doesn't have a mean bone in him, he's affectionate, thoughtful. Remember that time during TdF 2022 when he asked Grischa to tell him if he could slow down at the end of the TT to let Wout win the stage? Yeah. He's that kind of guy.
More under the cut:
He's a crier. It's cute and it makes me want to hug him. He loves his family and he always has a good word for his rivals and he's humble and I relate so much to his introverted personality and he's a cinnamon roll and a cutie patootie. But when he puts on his sunglasses, he looks like A WAR MACHINE.
(but a cute one)
He got a lot of heat when he didn't wait for Sepp on the Angliru during this Vuelta, only the instructions of the team before that clusterfuck stage were to battle it out between them and he probably liked it even less than us because he wanted Sepp to win the Vuelta from the beginning.
And need I say anything about the absolute sportsmanship of this man? When he lost his balance in the Col of Spandelles, TdF 2022, Tadej didn't miss the opportunity and powered away from him, but when Tadej was the one who crashed two minutes later, he waited for him. HE WAITED FOR HIM.
And he made the sport all the better for it and gave us one of the finest images in cycling history.
if you like MvDP, consider that though in these days when van der Poel is showing up with a mullet, Jonas did long hair earlier and better.
though there has been a change of style
If you like WvA, consider that some of the BEST hug pictures only exist due to Jonas being the kind of teammate whom others want to hug AND eminently sized for hugs/lifts
(we've all seen this but we can look at it again)
He's got sportsmanship. He's got incredible skills. He's even a dad! Maybe he's not always good at smiling for the cameras but he can sure smile for his family
Most importantly, he's a TdF winner with the time trial of the year and he cannot ride his goddamn bike without hands without his body language screaming oh god someone help me
Wout van Aert Propaganda
muddy wout. you agree
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Jonas Vingegaard is through!
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot Propaganda
how can you not vote for absolute cycling legend Tibo. The small documentary they made at the end of the season? Fucking broke me man.
Chala-la-lala-lala TIIIBOOO PINOOOOO
Please accept Thibaut age 7 in his cycling gear as additional propaganda (x)
He was full of dreams, and already he wanted to be “Champion of the Tour de France”.
Matej Mohorič is through!
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Mattias Skjelmose Propaganda (submitted by poll-runner)
Personal: He’s a super lovely guy with an adorable smile, looks like an elf, likes a cheeky bit of gossip and has no filter, great friendship with Mads Pedersen.
One time he crashed and fell 15m down a ravine, climbed back up himself and yelled “I’m fine, just give me a new bike” which is just. Insane to me
Professional: He’s had a really interesting journey as a rider. He was on top of the world as a junior, rivalling Remco Evenepoel, but was a total dick. Then he got banned for doping because he took some contaminated dietary supplements. Came back a year later and then signed to Trek-Segafredo (much to the irritation of Mads Pedersen, who knocked on Mattias’ hotel room door and asked him why he should believe he had changed, but found himself pleasantly surprised by the type of guy Mattias now was) and now he’s thirteenth on the individual UCI ranking. Rouleur did a great article on him:
Tadej Pogačar is through!
Primož Roglič Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Wout van Aert is through!
Mathieu van der Poel Propaganda
As much as I hate the white bib shorts, Mathieu can definitely pull them off. Hate to admit it but he *does* look good in white.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Mathieu van der Poel Propaganda
As much as I hate the white bib shorts, Mathieu can definitely pull them off. Hate to admit it but he *does* look good in white.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot Propaganda
how can you not vote for absolute cycling legend Tibo. The small documentary they made at the end of the season? Fucking broke me man.
Chala-la-lala-lala TIIIBOOO PINOOOOO
Please accept Thibaut age 7 in his cycling gear as additional propaganda (x)
He was full of dreams, and already he wanted to be “Champion of the Tour de France”.
Mathieu van der Poel Propaganda
As much as I hate the white bib shorts, Mathieu can definitely pull them off. Hate to admit it but he *does* look good in white.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Primož Roglič Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Primož Roglič Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Primož Roglič Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot Propaganda
how can you not vote for absolute cycling legend Tibo. The small documentary they made at the end of the season? Fucking broke me man.
Chala-la-lala-lala TIIIBOOO PINOOOOO
Please accept Thibaut age 7 in his cycling gear as additional propaganda (x)
He was full of dreams, and already he wanted to be “Champion of the Tour de France”.
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot Propaganda
how can you not vote for absolute cycling legend Tibo. The small documentary they made at the end of the season? Fucking broke me man.
Chala-la-lala-lala TIIIBOOO PINOOOOO
Please accept Thibaut age 7 in his cycling gear as additional propaganda (x)
He was full of dreams, and already he wanted to be “Champion of the Tour de France”.
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Mattias Skjelmose Propaganda (submitted by poll-runner)
Personal: He’s a super lovely guy with an adorable smile, looks like an elf, likes a cheeky bit of gossip and has no filter, great friendship with Mads Pedersen.
One time he crashed and fell 15m down a ravine, climbed back up himself and yelled “I’m fine, just give me a new bike” which is just. Insane to me
Professional: He’s had a really interesting journey as a rider. He was on top of the world as a junior, rivalling Remco Evenepoel, but was a total dick. Then he got banned for doping because he took some contaminated dietary supplements. Came back a year later and then signed to Trek-Segafredo (much to the irritation of Mads Pedersen, who knocked on Mattias’ hotel room door and asked him why he should believe he had changed, but found himself pleasantly surprised by the type of guy Mattias now was) and now he’s thirteenth on the individual UCI ranking. Rouleur did a great article on him:
Primož Roglič Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Mathieu van der Poel Propaganda
As much as I hate the white bib shorts, Mathieu can definitely pull them off. Hate to admit it but he *does* look good in white.
Wout van Aert Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot is through!
Remco Evenepoel Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Thibaut Pinot Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Jonas Vingegaard is through!
Jonas Vingegaard Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Marc Soler Propaganda
He may be ranked #130 in the UCI rankings but he is #1 in my heart ❤️
More propaganda under the cut.
As you may know, Marc Soler moved to UAE Team Emirates in 2022 and has since been one of Tadej Pogačar's most valuable mountain domestiques – pulling the peloton for kilometres on end, being there in the final group before Tadej and Jonas start attacking each other. Then there's stage 17 this year; his infamous ‘scary eyes’ and comforting hand, pulling his leader up the Col de la Loze and helping maintain his podium place.
However! There is much more to Marc Soler than that! Before 2022, his entire professional career was spent with Movistar – that blue-clad stalwart of Spanish cycling hopes. With them, he was again an invaluable domestique to the likes of Enric Mas, Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana, and Richard Carapaz. In the intra-team ~drama~ that plagued Movistar’s 2019/2020 seasons, he remained if not neutral, but relatively uninvolved. This is well-documented in their documentary ‘Movistar: The Least Expected Day’, the series that first endeared him to me.
In 2018, he had his day as a GC challenger – a week, really, swooping to victory at Paris-Nice to take the overall win with a fantastic attack on the final stage to make up more than a minute on Simon Yates
Now let me discuss stage 5 of the Vuelta 2022: Marc’s second stage win at this race – the first being in 2020. There was a battle for the breakaway, and Marc missed out! Never fear – the intrepid Spaniard did what he does best; launch a seemingly futile attempt to bridge, riding solo or in a small group for 50km+ that never really gets anywhere. Not today, though! He joined them, when Stewart attacked he countered brilliantly and rode solo for the final 15km. Brilliant stuff. This won him the stage, the combativity award, and later actions brought him the overall super-combative award, all while supporting Juan Ayuso to the podium.
Oh yeah, did I mention the mullet?? And the earring??
Outside of racing, he comes across as a genuinely nice guy – though I have yet to come across an interview in English, translations of Spanish-language seem cheerful and respectful, having fun in UAE’s social media videos!
He recovered brilliantly from having to abandon in both the Giro and the Tour in 2021 – breaking both of his arms in a crash in the latter, yet soldiering on and completing the stage.
Soler in his natural habitats; pulling the peloton up some steep, steep slopes, or breaking away for a hail-Mary attack that’s seemingly done only for the sheer joy of doing so. He’s a valuable domestique, brilliant rider, and most certainly embodies the spirit of ciclismo!
Thus concludes my Soler propaganda.
Vamos, Marc!
Mattias Skjelmose is through!
Simon Geschke Propaganda
Personal: Simon Geschke is an old man with a magnificent beard, born in East-Berlin (a soft pisces with a fiery aries moon, we stan a king) and despite living in the south of Germany for a while now he never lost his perfect accent and his dry pragmatic way of looking at the world. He is vegan and has a french bulldog (which...okay...), and his favorite hobby is fiddling with his Schwalbe, a vintage GDR scooter.
Professional: The son of a track cycling world champion probably learned to bike before he learned to walk. Now he rides for Cofidis as a mountain specialist and helper for Guillaume Martin. Biggest moment was gaining the polka dot jersey in the 2022 Tour de France. He held it for nine days and did a special and adorable video for KIKA, the kid's channel, where he counted all the dots on the jersey for the kids. There are 75 dots. Here is the video:
Mattias Skjelmose Propaganda (provided by poll-runner)
Personal: He’s a super lovely guy with an adorable smile, looks like an elf, likes a cheeky bit of gossip and has no filter, great friends with Mads Pedersen.
One time he crashed and fell 15m down a ravine, climbed back up himself and yelled “I’m fine, just give me a new bike” which is just. Insane to me
Professional: He’s had a really interesting journey as a rider. He was on top of the world as a junior, rivalling Remco Evenepoel, but was a total dick. Then he got banned for doping because he took some contaminated dietary supplements. Came back a year later and then signed to Trek-Segafredo (much to the irritation of Mads Pedersen, who knocked on Mattias’ hotel room door and asked him why he should believe he had changed, but found himself pleasantly surprised by the type of guy Mattias now was) and now he’s thirteenth on the individual UCI ranking. Rouleur did a great article on him:
Matej Mohorič is through!
Mads Pedersen Propaganda
Simply go read an interview, he is immensely entertaining, and also the sprint he did in the Bemer Cyclassics gave me an adrenaline high that changed my brain chemistry. He betrayed his danish nation by moving away to Switzerland for tax reasons, but he's very open about it at least. Is described by teammates as a good guy and wears many silly Lidl outfits.
Funniest guy in the peloton, like listen to any interview with him. Has a grand tour grand slam (a victory in each grand tour). Look at those thighs. Number six on UCI ranking. Speedy guy. Keeps it real. Doesn’t die in hills as much as other sprinters imo. Just vote the guy, he’s great
Matej Mohorič Propaganda
Tadej Pogačar is through!
Magnus Cort Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.
Tadej Pogačar Propaganda
No propaganda submitted.