“Why do you hyperventilate every time you see me?” Vuelta influencer accused of “setting women in sport back years” after “cringe” Tadej Pogačar ‘interview’; Hulk Hayter explains ripped shorts + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Why do you hyperventilate every time you see me?” Vuelta influencer accused of “setting back women being taken seriously in sport by a bajillion years” after “cringe” Tadej Pogačar ‘interview’
Meet Erola Jons. She’s a Spanish social media influencer who’s racked up 3.2 million followers on Instagram, and a further 2.9 million on TikTok, for her hidden camera pranks.
In most of her videos, according to the Spanish press, Jons approaches random men in public and attempts to embarrass them with sexually charged questions. That’s what the kids on TikTok want these days, I suppose.
Erola also courted controversy within the cycling community over the weekend, her new role as an official Vuelta influencer backfiring spectacularly on the race organisers after a rather cringe encounter with race leader Tadej Pogačar.
The 29-year-old, just in case you were unaware, has been hired by the Vuelta to help bring the race to a new, younger audience (what are they saying about us?), through a series of behind-the-scenes YouTube videos, which see Jons don her red lanyard and act as a “roving” reporter.
The Vuelta’s Gen Z strategy hasn’t gone quite to plan, however.
Following Saturday’s opening prologue in Monaco, which saw Pogačar pip Ethan Hayter to the win and the red jersey by 0.09 seconds, the Vuelta posted a live video of Jons’ backstage shenanigans. Which, even accounting for the language barrier, looked pretty awkward to me.
Around 11 minutes into the clip, after interviewing a few spectators, she stops an unsuspecting Netcompany Ineos soigneur, waiting to help third-placed Josh Tarling.
“You are here to distract the journalists? Are you here to win, or to distract me?” Because you’re cute, you know?” she tells the swannie, who evidently wanted the ground to swallow him up at that point.
Believe it or not, it gets worse.
22 minutes in, in the search for some sweet, sweet content, Jons spies Pogačar making his way to the podium truck, where he’ll soon get changed into the leader’s jersey.
As she approaches the world champion, UAE Team Emirates’ press officer, Irishman Luke Maguire, intervenes, shaking his head and saying, “no, no, no, no.” Classic Luke.
After meandering aimlessly for eight minutes, Jons walks up to the steps of the truck, leans her head in, and says: “Pogachita, why do you always hyperventilate when you see me?”
Poor bemused Luke once again has to step in, politely but firmly telling Jons that she’ll have to wait for Pogačar to finish his podium duties (though that didn’t stop her shouting “Congratulations, grande Pogachita” in the direction of the red jersey a few minutes later).
Podium ceremonies all ticked off, Erola finally got her chance.
“Pogachita, congratulations. Why do you hyperventilate every time you see me?”
“What?” a bemused Pogi responded, screwing up his face. “What is that?”
“You hyperventilate, you breathe,” she replied.
“I breathe 24/7,” laughed the evidently baffled world champion, as Maguire told him, “we have to go.”
Did La Vuelta hire an influencer to harass Pog? https://t.co/GGtvuUjAL7 pic.twitter.com/OPA830stgf
— Luc Grefte (@LucGrefte) August 23, 2026
Even as Pogačar sped away, Jons laughed: “I’m going to ask him if he’s that fast in private too.”
“Look at him, who would guess he’s ridden 200km?” she continued, while standing at the finish line of the 9km time trial. “I don’t know how this guy is doing in the general classification, but in mine he’s first.”
Blimey.
And while her Vuelta livestream has only accrued 9,000 views on YouTube, a clip of her interaction with Pogačar has gone viral, prompting fans to accuse her of “harassing” the riders while also raising serious questions about cycling’s attempts to chase new audiences. Some viewers have even called on the Vuelta to apologise for hiring Jons in the first place.
“Is it just me or is this incredibly cringe?” asked Luc Grefte, whose clip of Jons’ interviewing technique sparked the debate. “Did La Vuelta hire an influencer to harass Pog?”
“In the head of some Vuelta official, it sounded great that an ‘influencer’ with zero knowledge of cycling would open up this sport to another audience,” said Luis Jiminez. “What a huge mistake, but what do we mere mortal without influence know?”
“Brutal. I went to check her Instagram and the content is crystal clear, so whoever signed her knew damn well the path they were taking,” added Filippo Ricci. “And evidently they’ve figured that language packed with sexual innuendos was the most fitting way to create content for the Vuelta. I’m floored.”
“For the record, Erola’s not to blame for any of this, because it’s exactly what her social media is,” noted Ismael Labrador. “But it’s a format that just doesn’t fit the Vuelta.
“Cycling has spent years struggling to figure out how to adapt to new formats for consuming content, and when you have no clue what to do, you cling to the first PowerPoint the layesy 360 agency has shoved your way.”
Meanwhile, Anna Mac described the “cringe” clip has “setting back women trying to be taken seriously in sport by one bajillion years”.
Una vuelta por La Vuelta con Erola Jons para disfrutar de los mejores momentos del backstage 🙌✨https://t.co/QLvzlxsA31#LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/qOmcr5tdho
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 22, 2026
Laura Meseguer, one of Eurosport’s most established and respected reporters on the ground, also criticised the decision to hire Jons on Instagram, branding it “disrespectful” to the women who have fought hard to break into the male-dominated world of cycling and sport.
“This is a serious matter,” she wrote. “To sum it up, many women have spent years fighting to expand our presence in a male-dominated sport, to be treated with respect, and to have the same opportunities as others.
“It’s a serious blunder to hire someone with zero knowledge of the sport whose content will be based on this series of sexist comments that women have been running away from for centuries!
“It’s disrespectful to us, to the professionals here, and especially to the cyclists. No one should have to endure being treated as an object, neither women nor men.”
Influencer Erola Jons banned from talking to Vuelta riders and told to “adjust her tone” after complaints – but organisers say her race videos will continue
Well, that was quick. Following the widespread backlash against influencer Erola Jons’ behind-the-scenes ‘content’, which some have described as “harassment” and “embarrassing”, the Vuelta organisers have stepped in this morning.
According to Marca, the organisers of the Spanish grand tour have decided to keep Jons involved with the race until the finish, with her videos still set to be posted on the Vuelta’s social media channels.
However, from now on, Jons will not have access to the mixed zone, the team buses, or the podium checkpoints, effectively preventing her from interacting directly with the riders (and also meaning she won’t be rubbing shoulders with journalists doing their jobs in those areas).
The organisers have also told Jons to “adjust the tone and style of her posts” to better suit the environment of a “top level sporting event”. So no more random, flirty pick-up lines, then.
While those new guidelines may appease those up in arms about Jons’ approach, Marca reports that the Vuelta’s organising team have denied the debate currently raging on social media is about feminism, arguing that the TikToker has “every right” to have her own space and covey her own message within the race.
Just not at the riders anymore.
The (sheltered) view of today’s Vuelta hailstorm from inside the Netcompany Ineos team car
Yeah, that’s not a day for racing your bike:
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Vuelta stage paused due to hailstorm in Pyrenees, as riders duck for cover in hotel
It’s pure chaos at the Vuelta, where a huge hailstorm on the penultimate climb has caused the race to be paused.
As the riders approached the top of the Col de Mont-Louis with around 15km to go, the downpour that engulfed most of the climb – and caused the coverage to cut out – turned into hail the size of golf balls. A number of riders, not worried about the GC, pulled off to the side of the road to seek shelter, prompting red jersey Tadej Pogačar to get to the front of the peloton and call for a general slow-down.
View this post on Instagram
The stage was then paused by the organisers, allowing the riders to head inside a handily placed hotel and try their best to warm up. So far, there’s no indication that the stage will be completely cancelled, though judging by the chaos at the moment, it’s not looking good.
Stage cancelled!
Just as soon as I’d pressed ‘publish’ on the last update, the news came through on our TV screens that the stage to Font-Romeu has been cancelled due to the horrible weather that descended on the Pyrenees this afternoon.
I’m not surprised – with a descent coming up, the hail stones, both on the road and falling from the sky, would not be ideal, while the logistics of getting the race back up and running after it was paused would have been very difficult. And fair play to the organisers for making the decision so quickly.
Shades of the 2019 Tour de France landslide here, though without the severe GC implications. Well, that’s one way to stop Tadej Pogačar winning…
UAE Team Emirates reportedly complain to Vuelta organisers over influencer’s behaviour around Tadej Pogačar
Judging by press officer Luke Maguire’s pained expression during the Vuelta’s backstage livestream, it’ll not come as much of a surprise to any of you that UAE Team Emirates have apparently complained to the Vuelta organisers about Erola Jons’, ahem, interviewing technique.
According to Marca, the team has voiced its displeasure over the manner in which Pogačar was continuously approached by Jons as he prepared for the podium ceremonies.
The Vuelta organisers have yet to make a statement about the complaints, or whether they plan to change their partnership with Jons. Though they have also spent seven years pleading with Pogačar to return to the Spanish grand tour, so they won’t want to mess that up after just two days.
Marca has also kindly (or not so kindly) translated a few of Jons’ other, hmm, interesting contributions in her Monaco livestream that my rapidly receding A Level Spanish wasn’t able to pick up.
“Take me for a ride too.”
“It’s getting hot seeing all this Lycra, and so tight.”
“This should be illegal, so much beauty distracts me.”
“If they’re changing, even better, that’ll boost the audience.”
“Yes, he’s changing, you can see through the jersey a little and it’s not bad, I like it.”
Alright, that’s enough of that. Although, to be honest, I wouldn’t be mad if ‘Pogachita’ remained in the cycling lexicon…
“What disappoints me enormously is that everyone says it is terrible, but then immediately a ‘but’ follows. I would say we need to skip everything after the ‘but’. This simply cannot happen”
The Vuelta gets thunderstruck
When I drove through Font-Romeu last month, on the way to Les Angles, it was scorchingly hot, with barely a cloud in the sky. Today at the Vuelta, it’s very, very different.
The Pyrenees has greeted the race with an almighty downpour, one strong enough to cut off the live feed, leaving poor Sean Kelly and Rob Hatch (still suffering from nightmares of the 2021 Giro and its weather-impacted coverage problems) scrambling to keep us entertained.
Grêle sur la Vuelta à Font Romeu pic.twitter.com/MFN8cnrOLm
— Météo Pyrénées (@Meteo_Pyrenees) August 24, 2026
As I type this, we’ve got some pictures – though it’s patchy and looks extremely grim too, with hail now pelting the riders.
Vuelta a España calls on fans to “take every possible precaution” and protect “our great open-air stadium” after wildfires
One of the ongoing themes of the cycling summer continues, as the organisers of the Vuelta a España called on fans watching the race in the Pyrenees to protect “our great open-air stadium” after the wildfires which devastated the region last month.
Today’s Vuelta stage finishes at Font-Romeu, just down the road from Les Angles, the town which hosted an eerily quiet finish of the Tour de France last month, after fans were “invited” by the organisers not to head to the final climb as wildfires raged in the eastern Pyrenees.
And while Unipublic haven’t gone that far at the Vuelta, they have urged fans to be environmentally responsible over the next few days in the mountains.
“La Vuelta 26 travels through Monaco, France, Andorra and Spain, crossing some of the most spectacular landscapes and natural areas in our territory,” the statement released today said.
“Along the route, the race will also visit places that, unfortunately, have been affected by wildfires in recent years, reminding us of the importance of protecting and preserving an environment that is part of the very essence of La Vuelta and which serves as our great open-air stadium.
“For this reason, La Vuelta is calling on all fans following the race from the roadside to take every possible precaution and help prevent fires throughout the 21 stages.
“Small gestures are essential to protecting our surroundings: do not throw cigarette butts or matches on the ground, do not light fires, avoid any activity that could generate sparks, and always collect your waste before leaving the area. In addition, it is essential to respect at all times the instructions and restrictions established by the local authorities.
“Let’s enjoy La Vuelta responsibly. Taking care of our surroundings means protecting the open-air stadium that makes our sport possible.”
“It was like cutting the blood from my legs”: Ethan Hayter says XS green skinsuit behind ripped shorts breakaway look at Vuelta
Ethan Hayter had quite the opening week to the Vuelta, didn’t he?
On Saturday, the British time trial champion agonisingly missed out on a maiden grand tour stage win on the streets of Monaco, as PlayStation cyclist Tadej Pogačar pipped him to the prologue by just 0.09 seconds.
View this post on Instagram
Undeterred, Hayter spent yesterday’s stage to Manosque hunting down the Slovenian’s red jersey, slipping into the four-man breakaway, outlasting his fellow attackers, and nabbing the six bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, moving him into the virtual lead.
However, the 27-year-old paid for his breakaway efforts in the finale, losing 31 seconds and his hopes of red as the peloton split into pieces, thanks to some late attacks by Wout van Aert and Pogačar himself, before Matthew Brennan sprinted to his debut grand tour stage win.
But his doomed quest for red wasn’t the only talking point from Hayter’s stage two ride.
As he ploughed on in the breakaway, viewers noticed that his shorts were ripped. Not because he’d been involved in a crash, or because the green jersey had turned him into a cycling variant of the Hulk. But because the Vuelta’s organisers had supplied him with a skinsuit that was a few sizes too small.
View this post on Instagram
“The organisation, for some reason, they only gave me an extra small, and then they didn’t have any spares,” Hayter said after the stage (they must have spent all their money on content creators).
“They said you can wear your own team kit or the green jersey and I said, ‘I can’t wear my own team kit’, because maybe you never know when your last days are in the jersey.”
But once he made it into the break, Hayter realised he couldn’t carry on a super tight skinsuit, so got the scissors out for some mid-stage alterations.
“It was like cutting the blood from my legs,” he said. “I was really suffering in the breakaway, and I started to feel a lot better once I made some breathing room for my legs.”
Reflecting on his failed attempt to wrest the red jersey from the shoulders of the five-time Tour de France winner, Hayter said: “You don’t get many opportunities in a Grand Tour and I thought I’d give it a go.
“I thought sprinting myself would be quite difficult to take a top three, so I thought I had nothing to lose, really.
“I had to make quite a big effort at the start and probably maybe paid for it just a little bit at the end. It’s a shame, but it was nice to try.”
Echelons!
It’s windy down in the Pyrenees today and that’s resulted in some echelon-based chaos out on the road at the Vuelta. You’d almost think we were in Belgium:
View this post on Instagram
After a few splits in the bunch, and a few panicked chases, everything’s regrouped heading into the final 50km, where a six-rider breakaway (including that man Hayter once again) has a 1.45 lead as the road starts to head skywards.
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane? Well, it’s a long story
Peak Birmingham: Flagship cycle lane closed because of a stalled development’s hoardings, parking suspended because of the development but still being parked in, the remaining pavement overgrown with bushes from another stalled development. Pedestrians forced into the carriageway.
— Martin Price (@mrmjprice.bsky.social) August 23, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Blanchett on a Brompton
We’ve got some hot ‘celebs on bikes’ goss from the weekend (that’s what you come here for, right?), after Cate Blanchett was spotted leaving her latest performance of the play Electra/Persona at London’s National Theatre on a – wait for it – Brompton.
SHE LEFT THE THEATRE BY BIKE 😭 pic.twitter.com/KY6CNWaL2k
— laura (@juliescate) August 21, 2026
The Aviator star was even photographed riding the Electric C Line model to the train station:
Bikes, huh? You know they might catch on.
Anyway, back to the racing…
So, how is Tadej Pogačar going to win today? (Alright, alright, it’s not that bleak yet. Probably.)
But, let’s be honest, today’s Vuelta stage looks tailormade for the rampant Slovenian. We’re hitting the Pyrenees for an uphill finish at Font-Romeu, the ski resort located right on France’s border with Spain – and where the third stage of this year’s Tour de France passed through on the way to Les Angles.
Pogačar won that day, on a very similar finish too. So we all know what’s coming, right?
Two men charged with murder after cyclist killed by punch
Vuelta round-up: Matthew Brennan blasts to first grand tour stage win + Can Tadej Pogačar become the first man in 34 years to lead a three-week race from start to finish?
It turns out social media influencers and their awkward questions weren’t the only talking points from the Vuelta’s opening weekend?
Yesterday in Manosque, in the south-eastern corner of France, Matthew Brennan passed another checkpoint on his inexorable path to the summit of the cycling world, taking out his first ever grand tour stage win with another trademark blistering acceleration. And on his first ever grand tour road stage, too.
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With the peloton softened up by his teammate Wout van Aert’s red jersey-hunting late attack (snuffed out by Tadej Pogačar, naturally), 21-year-old Brennan never looked like being beaten, burning off Mads Pedersen on the drag to the line for a very, very convincing win. And an ominous warning for all his sprint rivals over the next few years.
Pogačar, ever effervescent, recovered sufficiently from his brief foray off the front with Van Aert to overhaul Pedersen at the line and finish third, just behind Bahrain-Victorious’ Pau Miguel.
After seeing off the red jersey threat of both Van Aert and the enterprising Ethan Hayter, and with the Pyrenees coming into view this afternoon, Pogačar now stands a real chance of leading the Vuelta from start to finish.
If he does so, he’ll become the first man to achieve that dominant feat since Tony Rominger at the 1994 Vuelta. I suppose he has to keep himself interested, doesn’t he?
Racing round-up, part two: More Wiebes domination at the Tour of Britain as Kim Le Court seals redemptive overall victory
Kim Le Court sealed a redemptive overall victory at the Tour of Britain in Royal Leamington Spa yesterday afternoon, as Lorena Wiebes underlined – not that it needed underlining – that she’s one of the most dominant sprinters this sport has ever seen.
On Saturday, Wiebes showcased her versatility by making an elite front group that formed in the finale over the steep final climb, shutting down a number of dangerous attacks in the run-in (and showing off her “stacked” arms in the process, as Lizzy Banks brilliantly pointed out in comms).
That group was swallowed up in a frantic final kilometre – not that Wiebes was put off in the slightest, the SD Worx powerhouse making light work of the uphill drag in Hay-on-Wye to bag her ToB hat-trick.
Things were even more straightforward for win number four on Sunday, as her rivals combined – with Zoe Backstedt putting in a sterling, if slightly misguided, lead-out – to effectively tee Wiebes up for another sprint annihilation.
For Le Court, meanwhile, the damage was done on the Great Orme on Friday, the Mauritian champion keeping an eye on things to secure a brilliant overall victory.
Le Court’s green jersey also puts to bed the ghosts of her two previous visits to the Tour of Britain, including last year’s ill-fated edition, when she crashed out while leading the race.
“I had a bad experience last year, and I just wanted to redeem myself after that. In 2015 I came here, and I was dead last, so I didn’t have a good experience of the Tour of Britain in the past,” she said after yesterday’s finish.
“This is my third try, and I said if I did a good tour and finished on a high then I wouldn’t come back … but it is just a saying.”
When you win the Tour of Britain just so you can have a giant sausage roll
Kim Le Court, I like your style…
View this post on Instagram
I reckon I’d have won a lot more bike races if there’d been sausage rolls waiting for me on the podium.
New Van Rysel gravel bikes klaxon!
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I have an idea who it might have been.
Apparently this pavement in Wales has proved too narrow for at least 3 drivers! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9w4vdxrz9do .. Although apparently this is an "accidentally put a walking route in the sat-nav" issue.
@chrisonabike It'll get a lot more unfit if we don't change our ways. This vote was nothing more than councillors worrying about losing votes. We need to change our ways urgently, for the sake of our health and our survival as well as for economic reasons. In short, the UK needs some tough love. Burnham needs to have the moral courage to force local authorities to make these changes in the same way as the Dutch did in 1973. The then Dutch PM's words are still relevant today:- "The world from before the oil crisis will not return. We will have to adjust to a permanent shift in our way of life and our economic management." We need to change, like it or not.
@60somethingcyclist yes, and a fair amount of that is 3 miles or less, and there are even lots of "one mile or under". But... with any aging and increasingly unfit (in many ways) population 3 miles there and then back seems a big deal. Particularly since the mental model is still "drive or walk" for most. Of course use of "cycles" helps ameliorate several of these issues. But it's a change not only in thought but in "how society works" (where you're expected to get to, carrying what) AND usually the built environment (with high- value items like those shops, schools and hospitals we've increasingly centralised.
@Destroyer666 Silca occupy the super-premium market. Muc-Off, while upmarket, is definitely lower tier. Yes, chemical engineering and R&D are expensive. Still, Muc-Off products simply are not that good compared to many other brands, hence my BS comment earlier.
If you go check the prices for similar stuff made by what I consider the number one in this field, Silca, Muc-Off's is notably cheaper. And you get a brush. Cheap these cleaners still are not But either we are getting ripped off by more companies than just Muc-Off, or the chemicals, research, etc that factor in making these things actually cost more than many seem to understand.
I really wonder how a company as bullshit-loaded as Muc-Off has made it into the mainstream.
"wider pavements" Motorists never complain about wider pavements, do they? smh
trying to sell an expensive product to do an unnecessary thing......cleaning a chain of factory lubricant, fine.....between waxing completely unnecessary...misleading product name, jumping on waxing now its gone more mainstream
Twenty-two quid? Thank heavens it also cleans oil based lubricants!
12 thoughts on ““Why do you hyperventilate every time you see me?” Vuelta influencer accused of “setting women in sport back years” after “cringe” Tadej Pogačar ‘interview’; Hulk Hayter explains ripped shorts + more on the live blog”
I appreciate the investigations are in the early stages but…
“Cleveland Police had received reports linking the car, which was believed to be using cloned registration plates that activated an ANPR camera, to “numerous incidents”, the watchdog said.”
“A video posted on a TikTok account believed to belong to Makai Saddington in March 2025 showed him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police pursuit. The video has since been deleted.
BBC Verify analysed the one minute 34 second-long clip, which showed the car driving on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, with Saddington a rear-seat passenger.
Another video posted by the same account, also since deleted, appears to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph.
Then, later in the video, a different car is set on fire. The passengers in this video are not identifiable.”
So there is previous evidence of exceptionally dangerous driving which is evidently not accidental but there was presumably insufficient action taken?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gvgy3de37o
“But cyclists…”
What is also interesting are calls to ban videos of dangerous driving from social media to prevent it encouraging others.
This is worrying as many of us who post such footage do so to show the outcomes when the incidents are reported to police, rather than to glorify them.
—
ETA, looks like SOCA are now involved:
I wonder if organised crime gangs will press their members to drive safely to avoid getting caught like this going forward…
@mitsky Although no evidence to suggest in at all in this case, but there have been many other cases of cyclists being targeted by drivers who then post their footage on social media. https://www.live5news.com/2025/03/19/teens-are-charged-with-murder-hit-and-run-bicyclist-posted-social-media/
I fear there unless video sites ie tiktok etc actively stop this becoming possible there is a greater risk to all members of the public from this outrageous behaviour.
To get back to your concern, I don’t think it would effect footage from cycle cams exposing poor driving since its reactive to another persons driving not there to show off while committing a criminal act.
If you cant guess by my name, I’m originally from that area and car theft and crime has always been a massive problem in the town. And the one piece of comfort I take from this is at least there are 5 fewer criminals around to risk other peoples lives.
My deepest condolences go out to the families of the 2 police officers.
Re Erola Jons. This is surely an insult to the intelligence of the younger audience the Vuelta organisers are hoping to attract.
Why the assumption that lack of knowledge and sexual innuendo would appeal to any age group?
May as well have a closing scene of the UAE cycling squad chasing Ms Jons through some thorny bushes, causing her dress to get ripped off, revealing her underwear, all to a background of Yakety Sax?
@Mr Blackbird I can understand the intent of attracting new audiences, but just imagine the reaction if a male influencer made similar comments to Demi Vollering or Kasia Niewiadoma
Indeed.
@Ryan Mallon
Please can my pending comment be authorised.
@Ryan Mallon if it’s a link to road collision reporting guidelines, don’t bother, everyone’s seen it.
Hailstones the size of golf balls Ryan? It was bad but I’ve seen a “golf ball sized” hailstorm (in Spain, as it happens, from a safe shelter) and they smash glass and can knock people unconscious, often with skull fractures – no way would the riders have been able to carry on until they found shelter in that type of storm, it would have been every man for himself under the nearest tree or rock.
@Rendel Harris I just finished watching a recording of today’s stage and the hailstones appeared to be somewhere around blueberry sized. Possibly large enough to cause somebody to crash if they rode over one at the wrong angle.
A few years ago I was riding a time trial on the A428 in Cambs. It was around 18 – 20 deg C. At around the half way point the heavens opened. The temperature must have dropped by about 10 degC almost immediately. Within about a minute, I was completely soaked and riding through about 10mm deep water on the carriageway, with my visor fogging up. The worst thing though was the feeling of shock. Had I been near the HQ I would have abandoned.
The Vuelta riders must have experienced something much much worse than me, especially as they will have been acclimatised to 30+ degC in recent weeks.
Hopefully none of them will get ill as a result of today – it was only stage 3, so pressed their immune systems aren’t yet too stressed.
@Mr Blackbird Yes, I’ve been on the rugby field when a sudden storm of about 3mm stones erupted, like being shot by a thousand air rifles at once and as you say, the temperature plummet was incredible. Memorable also for the sight of props who hadn’t broken above a jog in two decades and who thought you were a wuss if you went off for a mere broken arm suddenly doing creditable Linford Christie impressions in the rush for shelter!
What size of golf balls though?
Fair take on the Erola Jons controversy from Orla Chennaoui: “It’s too easy to blame the woman. It’s what we always do. But if the Vuelta is going to bring an influencer who has built a huge following with her brand of flirty interactions, is it her fault if that’s what she brings to the job? Or is it bad branding which is someone else’s call entirely? Just be careful about ripping a young woman to shreds. She doesn’t deserve that.”