"A fan jumped on the road" - Thomas De Gendt gets help from unlikely source after untimely mechanical at the Vuelta a Espana
CyclingFriday, 01 September 2023 at 14:30
Thomas De Gendt has long been a fan favourite amongst cycling supporters and this came in handy on stage 6 of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana when an untimely chain issue threatened to bring the powerful Belgian to a halt.
"My chain dropped on the second categorised climb of the day," the 36-year-old, former King of the Mountains winner at the Vuelta a Espana recapped in a post-stage update on his official X (Twitter) account. "A fan jumped on the road, put my chain on in 5 seconds and pushed me up to speed. All this while saying I’m a machina."
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Whilst De Gendt has been relatively anonymous over the first six stages, the Lotto Dstny rider often comes alive in the third week of the Grand Tours and is one of the elite group of riders to take stage wins at all three of cycling's biggest stage races.
Concluding his post, De Gendt gives a message of thanks to his knight in shining armour. "Thank you anonymous fan for the great help."
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- He actually took a pay cut when transferred to Visma; he was the star at Jayco for years, he moved because a different team structure could improve his chances and they both got the benefits of the transaction. Money would have been more important if he was a rising talent, not an established one on his way out.mhfrvz11-01-2026
- I take him for his word and the beautiful letter of retirement he penned.Good health and family life as well.Chapeau! God speed straight on till morning.
Brucegel10-01-2026 - If there is something, knowing cycling it will only come out in a decade. Another oddity is the money angle. Had he wanted to, he could probably have arranged to earn more in the next 2 years than he did in the past.Mistermaumau10-01-2026
- And yet, so many who get money get worried about it so obviously it’s not easy for everyone.Mistermaumau10-01-2026
- Maybe Simon's close bond with his brother made his position untenable, for instance if Visma were planning an unwelcome surprise for UAE.Hills3310-01-2026
- You forgot the tax angle which says quite a lot about people who are already well set up. And he’s got rid of the money hasn’t he, or rather invested it long-term for his family, people who like money spend differently.Mistermaumau10-01-2026
- 🤣 I saw that too. Guess he buys in lower tax bracket so he can buy moremd197510-01-2026
- Exactlymd197510-01-2026
- Leave now and we don't go public with our findings. Win Win
Front24210-01-2026 - Knowing even less about Jonas than they do about Tadej, journalists seem determined to emphasise the differences between them. They all pepper their articles about Jonas with the words family, quiet and candid. Then they have to make Tadej sound the opposite. If Tadej started a family they would be confused.Hills3310-01-2026
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My chain dropped on the second categorised climb of the day. A fan jumped on the road, put my chain on in 5 seconds and pushed me up to speed. All this while saying i’m a machina. Thank you anonymous fan for the great help.
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