Work Text:
December 18, 2023
Jonas was enjoying a rare quiet morning at home when his phone buzzed with a notification from the team group chat. Curious, he opened the message to find a video link sent by Attila.
Attila
https://youtu.be/DVX8sACmkGY?si=5faINDsuCopTUAIh
@Jonas , I swear you both can’t act for shit.
Jonas clicked on the link, noticing the Giro d’Italia channel first thing. He was obviously intrigued as the video played, showing airports, suitcases and people bumping fists, until his eyes caught on the UAE Team Emirates logo on one of the suitcases. Right at the end, the frame centered on… Tadej, in a car. “Andiamo”, video Tadej said, before the Giro logo appeared on screen.
Jonas watched his now black screen in silence, trying to process the information before it sank in: Tadej is going to race the Giro for the first time in his career .
Sepp
He had one line and still managed to make that awkward 😂
Typical Tadej
Jan
Whoa, Tadej at the Giro? Didn’t see that one coming
Wout
I wonder if he’ll still do the Tour. Could be a crazy season.
Dylan
Knowing him, he might as well just burn himself out getting in bunch sprints 🙈
Wout
“I’m gone, I’m dead”: the sequel? 👀
Attila
Guys 😭🫣
Tiesj
It really depends on who goes to the Giro, though…
And we already established Jonas won’t be there
Sepp
Watch all the other teams redo startlist plans for the whole year now that Tadej has dropped his schedule 😅
And that was, in all truth, the power Tadej held over the professional peloton.
Jonas stared at the screen, feeling a pang of sadness and a hint of something deeper – Was that hurt? –, watching the messages fly by but not actually reading them. He had always seen the competition between him and Tadej as something special, almost sacred. It belonged to the Tour. Of course Jonas knew Tadej was his own person, allowed to make his own decisions, but something about Tadej doing the Giro without him bothered Jonas.
He typed a response.
Jonas
Yeah, definitely didn’t expect that. It’ll be interesting to see how he does.
He sent the message, then put his phone down and took a deep breath. The day went on with the team continuing to speculate about the implications of Tadej’s announcement. They discussed how the Giro would look without Jonas, Remco, and Primož, all of whom had already made very clear they were going all-in for the Tour. The consensus was that it would still be an interesting race. That's all they could say without actually knowing how Tadej would do in this particular Grand Tour, but Jonas couldn’t help feeling left out.
The idea of Tadej in the maglia rosa kept creeping into his mind. He wondered if Tadej would miss him during the race, if he’d get bored without their usual back-and-forth.
Later in the afternoon, after having had time to process everything, Jonas decided to send Tadej a message. He opened their chat, looking at the last messages exchanged between them – some “Happy Birthday”s and vague conversation about vacations –, and hesitated for a moment before typing:
Jonas
So no Tour?
Decided not to overthink it, he hit send and waited, feeling a bit nervous. It took a total of seven seconds for the typing bubble to appear. As Sepp had once put it, “Tadej is practically tied to his phone”.
Tadej
Hello to you too
And who said that? Not me 😉
Jonas smiled. Tadej’s casual, teasing tone was basically a trademark of his by then.
Jonas
Just making sure
Nobody expected that. Why the Giro now?
Tadej
Just feel like it’s time to try something new
It’s a beautiful race, and I want to see if I can win it
Also, that trophy 🤩
Jonas
You probably will. You’ve got the talent.
Tadej
Thanks hahaha
But don’t think I’m skipping the Tour
I wouldn’t miss our battles for anything 😜
Jonas felt a weird sense of relief wash over him.
Jonas
👍🏻👍🏻
Looking forward to it. Good luck at the Giro, I’ll be watching.
Tadej
Great!!!
Tell me if you like the pink on me when we meet at the Tour 😉💗
Jonas snorted. And to think he had been worried the last Tour would’ve changed Tadej or done something to his self-confidence.
Jonas
You have to race first!
Tadej
Sure, I’ll do that
Anyway, thaaanks Jonas. See you on the roads :)
Jonas set his phone aside, feeling a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Tadej at the Giro was a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless. He was curious to see how Tadej would handle the new challenge and how it would change the dynamics of the races they usually shared. For now, he was content to watch and wait.
May 5, 2024
Tadej
[Photo]
You like it? 😍
Jonas
Pink looks good on you
Tadej
🥳🥳🥳