The story behind it
On May 22, 2016, something happened at the Giro d’Italia that would later become a symbol, a celebration, and a source of endless memes.
Twenty-four-year-old Russian rider Alexander Foliforov, racing for the Gazprom–RusVelo team, unexpectedly won Stage 15 of the Giro — a mountain individual time trial.
Distance — 10.8 km uphill.
Time — 28 minutes 39 seconds.
Behind him were the overall race leader Steven Kruijswijk in second place and Alejandro Valverde in third, as well as fellow riders Vyacheslav Kuznetsov and Ilnur Zakarin. It was a victory no one believed in — not bookmakers, not fans, and, according to Alexander himself, not even him.