While some would expect prize money and some a trophy, there are races that provide the winners with something rather unusual...
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00:00Cycling can be weird, and the most obvious way that this wonderful sport's eccentricity
00:08manifests itself is in its race prizes. So, with that in mind, we decided to draw up a
00:13list of the most bizarre podium prizes. But, before we get into it, don't forget to tick
00:18that little notification bell so you get told every time we release new content.
00:28Britain is known for its donkeys, but what was once a term of derision is now worn with
00:32pride by the town. That's why the winner of Kern Brussels Kern is awarded with a little
00:37cuddly donkey. That, and they need to be a real hard-ass to get through one of the toughest
00:42races of the year.
00:47Nothing says congratulations like a roundel of stinking cheese, but that's exactly what
00:52past stage winners of the Tour of Britain have been rewarded with. Their teammates on
00:56the team bus must have been absolutely thrilled.
01:03If tasty local cheese doesn't float your boat, then how about heading to Austria for
01:07some massive sausage? Yet the lucky race leader of the Tour of Austria receives one whopping
01:12Weissbauer sausage for every day the jersey is worn.
01:19The phrase, going the whole hog, really takes on a different meaning at Tro-Bro-Lyon, otherwise
01:24known as the Tour of Lyon. It's a unique race in a number of ways. It's 204km long,
01:30features 25 off-road sections, and includes everything from farm tracks to cobblestones
01:35to gravel paths. But, perhaps the most unique thing about the Tour of Lyon is that it crowns
01:41two winners. The actual race winner, and then the first place Breton who's lucky enough
01:46to win a real living piglet.
01:51The lucky rider that takes the King of the Mountains jersey in the Arctic Race of Norway
01:55will be rewarded with a giant salmon toy. If they're lucky enough to take the overall
01:59King of the Mountains classification, then they get rewarded with 500kg of prime Norwegian
02:05salmon.
02:10The lucky winner of Torino-Adriatico, a coast-to-coast race in Italy, is bespowed a large trident,
02:15the weapon most commonly associated with Neptune, the god of the sea. But the marine theme
02:21doesn't end there, and in the days preceding the race, the trident is ceremonially raised
02:25from the Tyrrhenian Sea by divers of the Italian Coast Guard.
02:34Each time the Vuelta a España visits Toledo, the stage winner receives a Toledo sword,
02:39a traditional piece of craftsmanship that dates back to before the Roman times, and
02:42every time one is given out, the mayor quips, good luck getting this through customs.
02:49So there you go, a list of our favourite, weird and wonderful cycling prizes that have
02:56been awarded over the years. If you have any good suggestions, then please let us know
03:00in the comments section below, and don't forget to like and subscribe.