This is one of the most brutal sticky bottles ever

There are sticky bottles, and then there are super-sticky, Krazy Glue/epoxy-level situations. On Saturday, cycling fans witnessed the latter when Dietmar Ledegen held onto a bidon for what seemed like an eternity.

Sticky bottles are a part of pro cycling, but there’s a limit to how long you can hold on. The maneuver, referred to in French as a ‘bidon collé,’ is a tactic almost every professional cyclist employs during a race. Essentially, when a rider retrieves a bidon from their team car, they intentionally hold on a bit longer than usual. By pushing against it, they gain a brief burst of speed.

You can hold on…but don’t push it

This technique can also be applied when grabbing a vest, jacket, or food. Hold onto whatever you’re getting for a bit longer and use it to gain a quick boost. Another trick is the “magic spanner” maneuver, which offers relief to a struggling rider by having a mechanic in a team car simulate bike repairs while subtly pulling the rider along with the vehicle.

During Stage 3 of the Tour de Wallonie in Belgium, Ledegen from the Continental team Baloise Trek Lions shocked fans on the side of the road when he held onto the bidon for an exceptionally long time. The day’s race covered 192.6 km from Arlon to La Roche-en-Ardenne. The original post on X mistakenly identified the rider as cyclocross star Pim Ronhaar. The post, which incorrectly stated that the Belgian had held onto the bottle for at least 500 m, was deleted and then reposted with the correct rider tagged.

If a jury catches you, you gone

This isn’t the first time (and likely not the last) a rider has been disqualified for holding onto a bottle for too long. At the 2022 Paris-Roubaix, Elisa Balsamo’s super-sticky bottle maneuver led to her disqualification. The world champ flatted, and on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, it’s extremely difficult to catch back on. Balsamo held onto a bottle for much too long, and although commissaires often overlook slight infractions, she pushed the limit just a smidge too far.

One of the most ridiculous examples of riders holding onto bottles, cars, and anything in sight was the 2023 Giro Next Gen—formerly the Baby Giro. During the race, as riders climbed the legendary and difficult Stelvio, 31 riders decided to hold onto cars for a free ride to the top. Officials noticed the cheating and disqualified them all. “What we saw was really offensive to those who correctly interpret this sport,” said Cordiano…