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 sports eccentricity manifests itself is in its race prizes.
00:11So, with that in mind, we decided to draw up a list of the most bizarre podium prizes.
00:16But, before we get into it, don't forget to tick that little notification bell so you get told every time we release new content.
00:23Kern is known for its donkeys, but what was once a term of derision is now worn with pride by the town.
00:34That's why the winner of Kern Brussels Kern is awarded with a little cuddly donkey.
00:38That, and they need to be a real hard ass to get through one of the toughest races of the year.
00:43Nothing says congratulations like a roundel of stinking cheese, but that's exactly what past stage winners of the Tour of Britain have been rewarded with.
00:55Their teammates on the team bus must have been absolutely thrilled.
01:03If tasty local cheese doesn't float your boat, then how about heading to Austria for some massive sausage?
01:08Yet, the lucky race leader of the Tour of Austria receives one whopping Weissbauer sausage for every day the jersey is worn.
01:19The phrase, going the whole hog, really takes on a different meaning at Trobro Leon, otherwise known as the Tour of Leon.
01:26It's a unique race in a number of ways.
01:28It's 204 kilometres long, features 25 off-road sections, and includes everything from farm tracks to cobblestones to gravel paths.
01:36But, perhaps the most unique thing about the Tour of Leon is that it crowns two winners.
01:41The actual race winner, and then the first place Breton, who's lucky enough to win a real living piglet.
01:51The lucky rider that takes the King of the Mountains jersey in the Arctic race of Norway will be rewarded with a giant salmon toy.
01:57If they're lucky enough to take the overall King of the Mountains classification, then they get rewarded with 500 kilograms of prime Norwegian salmon.
02:05The lucky winner of Tirreno-Adriatico, a coast-to-coast race in Italy, is bespoke a large trident, the weapon most commonly associated with Neptune, the god of the sea.
02:20But the marine theme doesn't end there, and in the days preceding the race, the trident is ceremonially raised from the Terranian sea by divers of the Italian Coast Guard.
02:29Each time the Vuelta Espana visits Toledo, the stage winner receives a Toledo sword, a traditional piece of craftsmanship that dates back to before the Roman times.
02:42And every time one is given out, the mayor quips, good luck getting this through customs.
02:47So there you go, a list of our favourite, weird and wonderful cycling prizes that have been awarded over the years.
02:57If you have any good suggestions, then please let us know in the comments section below, and don't forget to like and subscribe.