Spin Cycle: A society in De Kleijn

Spin Cycle is Escape Collective ’s news digest, published every Monday and Friday. You can read it on the website(obviously) or click here_to have it delivered straight to your inbox._

Hello!

Welcome back to Spin Cycle.

The Giro d'Italia has arrived in Italia, with palavers aplenty and the kind of chaotic intrigue the telenovelas on the Italian TV channels competing with the live Giro broadcasts could only dream of.

But first, a bad story before we try to pick up the vibe with all sorts of Grand Tour nonsense.

A society in De Kleijn 😡

Yes, maybe this isn't the most appropriate story to make a pun out of, but it's either that or say deplorable things about the Dutch teenagers who assaulted Tudor's Arvid De Kleijn while he was out training.

"I was training near St. Oedenrode. I hadn't thought about the fact that it was Paaspop [a music festival], but anyway, I rode past a group of ten boys aged about 15, 16, 17," De Kleijn recounted to De Telegraaf. "They hurled insults at me using the disease my father died from. I turned around and tried to engage in a conversation with them.

"Why did they have to use that word as an insult, and why were they carrying on like that at all? When I asked if they would stop, because my father died of that disease, things went from bad to worse," De Kleijn continued, referring to his father's long struggle with cancer. "They had probably been drinking, and maybe even had more. It was really impossible to have a conversation with them, and when I decided to cycle away, they started grabbing me.

"There was someone standing in the back on a fatbike who lashed out all at once, knocking me out. It turned out my nose was broken. It is especially sad that you see more often that this generation no longer has respect for their fellow man."

Fortunately there were bystanders who helped De Kleijn and nine of the boys were detained, but the one who assaulted the 32-year-old pro has not yet been found and so the trial will be delayed.

Yep, this is the Giro we signed up for 🍝

Almost as soon as the Giro d'Italia touched down in Italy, it's been a wall-to-wall hot mess, in the best possible way.

We've had roadside fans desperate to offer riders beer and wine, which judging by the weather on Wednesday's apocalyptic stage 5 may have been needed. Anything to heighten the peloton's spirits.

But take a sip and then sit back down, because in just a few days we've had all sorts of bedlam.

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