Updated March 12, 2026 04:03AM
Pro cyclists always look immaculate, right?
There are no flappy bits, color clashes, or jerry-rigged workarounds in their perfectly fitted, cutting-edge apparel.
Not always.
Jonas Vingegaard reminded the world on Wednesday that the pro peloton can’t look exquisite all of the time. Wardrobe malfunctions and fashion faux pas are still a possibility in the uber-aero, super stylish modern peloton.
Vingegaard conquered the foulest day of racing of the year on stage 4 of Paris-Nice on Wednesday wearing the straps of his bib tights over the top of his jersey.
And that wasn’t all.
The “offending item” had been butchered and slashed to leave a mauled mess of saggy bits and flappy fabrics.
It was the greatest styling “WTF” in memory – but also the most effective.
The Dane was toasty-warm while he conquered 195km of driving rain and howling winds to claim a crucial first victory of the year.
“You can call me a trendsetter with the long pants,” Vingegaard joked after the stage. “There was just no time to take them off.”
And Vingegaard had a lot of clothes to take off.
He was seen grappling with multiple jackets [one of which was worn backward, no less], a gilet, and heavy gloves through the course of the brutal stage through the Loire.
“I think a lot of guys were freezing today,” Vingegaard said after the stage as he sat bundled up in a heavy jacket.
“I personally didn’t freeze because I had a lot of clothes on. That was also maybe the reason I couldn’t take it all off,” he laughed.
The Vingegaard look, explained
Vingegaard’s butchered bib tights were the ultimate coup de gras of his multi-layered wardrobe.
And they were a work of genius.
Sporza revealed that Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Victor Campenaerts had unstitched the chamois before the stage to prevent doubling with the pad that was worn beneath.
Visma director Marc Reef further explained that aero gains were sacrificed to allow his leader an easy exit from his umpteenth warming layer.
“They predicted harsh conditions, so we were very well prepared for it,” Reef told Sporza. “In order to be ready for the final as soon as possible, Jonas had his pants cut in half, so that they could quickly be torn off by a teammate. But at the important moment, there was no more teammate. So we decided to race to the finish line with the pants on.”
“It did look a bit strange, but the most important thing in a situation like that is to stay warm,” Reef continued. “And we managed to do that. So great!”
Vingegaard the latest in cycling’s history of wacky wardrobes
Vingegaard, of course, is not the first pro to suffer something of a wardrobe malfunction, and he won’t be the last.
To celebrate [or commiserate?] Vingegaard’s warm-but-weird Paris-Nice wardrobe, here’s a recent history of our favorite clothing mechanicals:
Michael Woods: One warm leg is enough
Michael Woods raced to 5th at the 2019 Liège-Bastogne-Liège looking a little lopsided.
The now-retired Canadian favorite was caught in the act of undressing when the attacks started flying in the final 20km of the hilly monument, and he rocked the single leg-warmer look all the way into Bastogne.
Isaac del Toro: Busted zipper six-pack flex
Isaac del Toro wasn’t flashing his washboard abs for an Instagram profile photo when he sprinted to the win last year in Milano-Torino. The zip on his skinsuit broke in the back half of the race, and some high-speed tailoring from the UAE team car didn’t go the distance.
Isaac’s six-pack cost him a 200CHF fine from UCI officials for “damage to the image of the sport.”
Primož Roglič: Sticking it to the sock police
When you’ve been around as long as Primož Roglič, you wear what you want. And Rogla wanted to wear no-show socks for the Pyrénéan heat of stage 12 of the 2025 Tour de France.
Because let’s face it, a mid-calf cut looks “cool” and is aero, but it can be kinda sweaty.
“It’s hot, no?” Roglič joked at the finish of the stage. “I work on my tan for the summer without the lines.”
Jai Hindley: Rain jacket horrors
Jai Hindley’s grappling match with a wind jacket in the frozen, thin air of the Stelvio at the 2020 Giro d’Italia was “watch between your fingers” bike racing.
That the Aussie kept it upright while he fumbled with a sleeve intent on wrapping itself around his rear wheel deserves some sort of special recognition by the UCI.
‘It was super windy up top there, it was blowing like crazy,” Hindley later told Velo. “You probably couldn’t see it on TV, but whenever you would ride one side of the climb, you were on the right side of the road, and you were just super exposed. So the jacket was flying like crazy … it looked shit!”
Søren Wærenskjold: Hiding his hairy shame
Søren Wærenskjold is 92kg. The Norseman has been hardened to Arctic cold by the brutal winters of his upbringing in the windswept port of Mandal.
So when he won Omloop Nieuwsblad last March as the only rider wearing bib tights, you’ve got to question what’s up.
“I hadn’t shaved my legs,” he later admitted to Sporza. “I didn’t want to take them off, because I didn’t want to show my hairy legs.”
Matteo Jorgenson: MJ is for Michael Jordan
Who isn’t still confused by Matteo Jorgenson’s decision to wear a set of vintage, Michael Jordan-inspired Oakleys at Gent-Wevelgem last year?