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Videos: Crowd-pleasers Peter Sagan and Fernando Gaviria wow fans in US and Italy

World champ pulls wheelie on climb at Tour of California, Giro d'Italia points leader does likewise on the Oropa...

If you've ever been to a WorldTour race in person and watched the action on a tough climb, you'll know that for all the TV footage showing the overall contenders going head to head at the end of the race, there's a lot going on further back between the riders simply looking to get through the day's stage without missing the time cut.

And if there's no pressure to get inside the time limit, that can make for some entertaining antics, as these videos from Peter Sagan pulling a wheelie on Mount Baldy at the Amgen Tour of California and Fernando Gaviria doing likewise at the Oropa climb on yesterday's Giro d'Italia stage demonstrate.

Both riders delighted fans thousands of miles apart with their crowd-pleasing tricks, but while Sagan's race is now over, Gaviria has a tough final week in prospect to reach Milan with the points jersey next Sunday with the points jersey still on his shoulders as the Giro peloton tackles some serious mountains. 

But with the competition changed in 2014 to favour sprinters more, and the Colombian enjoying a 133-point lead, the jersey is almost certainly his if he completes the race, with no prospect of a climber overhauling him as happened when Joaquim Rodriguez pipped Mark Cavendish to the prize in 2012, the Manxman going on to win it the following year.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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RobD | 7 years ago
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How much core strength must Sagan have? even when he has no hands on the bars, still pulling a wheelie and looking rock solid going up hill, and keeping it going through the bend too. 

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BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
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retarded punters natch.

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