"This would probably have been the fail of the year" - Liam Slock explains viral finish line crash at GP Gippingen
Cycling
Every aspiring cyclist dreams and visualises the moment they cross the line and celebrate their first professional victory. When Liam Slock emphatically won the uphill sprint at GP Gippingen, his moment came, but it's made memorable for an unexpected reason.
The Belgian, looking behind at Richard Carapaz and Aleksandr Vlasov in chase, realised he was about to win the Swiss one-day race. In celebrating, he took his hands off the bars to celebrate and crashed at the finish line - still crossing the line first but in spectacular fashion.
The moment went viral, leading to his team Lotto–Intermarché making light of the incident. Confirming that the rider himself is okay with some minor abrasions and a sore hip, the 25-year-old knows that his moment of triumph came close to one of failure.
Slock avoids "fail of the year" moment
“Luckily the win came with it, otherwise this would probably have been the fail of the year,” Slock joked in a team statement.
There've been well documented cases of riders celebrating early only to be pipped to the line by chasers, but Slock's case saw mother nature get involved. He explained how a gust of wind caused him to lose control.
“There was an incredibly strong wind and I briefly underestimated it. I realised quite early that I was going to win and started celebrating early because I really wanted to enjoy the moment. I raised my arms in the air and then a gust of wind caught my handlebars.”
The headline-capturing moment perhaps distracted from the racing itself, with Slock impressively powering over to Carapaz and Vlasov in the finale and then choosing the right time to upset the odds and beat the experienced duo.
Slock explains race-winning move
“The race had actually been going really well all day. We were always where we needed to be every lap. At one point a large group got away and I was able to follow comfortably. When Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz attacked in the finale, I decided to bridge across."
He got across and picked his moment: "That took a lot of energy because those guys are among the very best. But once I made it across, I tried to save as much energy as possible. I thought that if I managed to do that, I might be able to win.”
All joking aside, the moment will live long in Slock's memory. When all is said and one, a first victory provided a delightful moment for him, having been part of the Lotto setup his whole career before the team merged with Intermarché.
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“I still had plenty left in the tank, so I knew fairly quickly that I was going to make it. The fact that I then crashed makes this a story worth framing. It feels a bit silly, but above all I’m just incredibly happy.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
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- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
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