Water bottle drama seems to be having a bit of a viral video moment in the pro-peloton this season. A few weeks ago, Alberto Bettiol (EFEducation-EasyPost) tried his hand at using his bottle as a journalist repelling device during the Tour Down Under.
More recently, a stone cold water bottle thief was caught on video in the midst of the stage finish hub-bub at the Vuelta a San Juan.
Water bottles that have been used by pro riders during a race are a fan favorite in the momento department, and since cycling is one of the rare sports in which fans can walk right up to the athletes at the finish, it isn’t unusual for fans to ask riders for their bottle as a souvenir.
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That’s what we see initially—a teenager asking rider Jonas Hvideberg (Team DSM) for his bottle. Within seconds of that exchange starting what can only be described as a water bottle pickpocket swipes the bottle and nonchalantly strolls off.
Both Hvideberg and the fan he was talking to both appear to have a did that just happen? moment. Check out how it went down in the video below.
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
