#challenge classification

The results are in at last- and the mods would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2025 Giro Fanworks Classification. Whether you created a fanwork, commented, betaed, or cheered everyone one it is a net positive for Cycling RPF as a whole. But we do have some winners of the classifications to congratulate.

First, the general classification and thus the maglia glitterata has been won by a substantial margin by those who chose to post anonymously this classification. While this means the jersey cannot be formally awarded to any individual in particular, it does mean that whoever wishes to post anonymously next Giro is thus helping to defend the jersey. Congratulations to however many authors were involved in this- it was an impressive GC campaign!

For the individual campaigns hoelywritingsx won the hilly (or AU) classification, legendofthefireemblem won the mountain  (or trope) classification and olympiaslover won the ITT (or challenge) classification. For the first of the gauntlets, Hyperspecific Week, the anonymous collective reigns supreme- perhaps another gauntlet will approach in the near future for people to try? Who knows! Nevertheless, congratulations to all our participants and we hope you all had a wonderful time! See you all soon for the Tour!

(admire the maglia glitterata below)

The winner of le maillot scintillement, who unexpectedly managed to complete every stage as well as the rest day goals is @legendofthefireemblem who is officially the GC winner, who has been thus taken out of running for the category classifications as the Honourable Overall Winner. Congratulations!

And now onto the category classifications! The category classification results are a bit complex- I’ve ranked everyone by how many stages they passed within that stage category- and if you completed both rest day goals, you’re ahead of people who completed the same number of stages! Because this is the first year, it’s a little haphazard so if you think I’ve missed any of your submissions please let me know! I’ve ranked these in order of number of stages- if you won a category classification with a higher number of stages you’re out of contention for the category classifications below it (mainly so more people can win, this may be tweaked for further iterations).

Category classifications winners:

The winner of the Flat Classification (which was single word prompts) was WhiteWeasel! Congratulations on your Accessory PNG!

The winner of the Mountain Classification (which was trope prompts) was @leadouttrain (ao3) aka Mod Inky! 

The winners of the Hills Classification (which was AU prompts) were jointly @kingfisherprince (ao3) and @etapereine (ao3) Well done to you both! Enjoy your little hat!

The winner of the ITT Classification (which were the challenges) was hoelywritingsx! Chapeau to you for persevering! And enjoy this chapeau!

And finally, a warm round of applause for the three people who completed both of the rest day goals! Have some glasses to look like the distinguished members of the cycling fanwork community you are!

@thedeadparrot, @legendofthefireemblem and @indie-summer

If anyone wants to know their ranking in the various classifications or just chat, feel free to contact this account or Mod Inky's account @leadouttrain (where I will happily go in Depth about top 3s and so on)

Thank you all so much for participating no matter what you did, from commenting to a full sweep! Cycling fandom doesn't exist without you all!

And if you're feeling bereft without a challenge in your life, stay tuned....

At last, the scores have been counted, the tiebreakers taken into account, and the results are in! Thanks to everyone who participated in this event, whether by creating something or simply writing a comment- you are all the lifeblood of this fandom and that’s what this event is here to encourage!

Without further ado, we would like to congratulate our winner of the General Classification and thus the winner of the Vuelta’s Glitter Jersey- this year’s maillot chispeante, @miloformula123fan! Below is your prize, as well as bragging rights for the rest of the year. Expect to be  challenged next year as the defending champion! We hope everyone joins us in congratulating them for completing all of the stages and rest day goals, emerging as the overall victor. 

The Mountain (or Trope) Classification was won by the wonderful boxhoy. A full completion, this competitor cleared every stage in this classification! Congratulations on your valiant effort; you also landed in second place on the podium for GC! We look forward to seeing what this competitor accomplishes next! Below is your accessory!

The Medium Mountain (or Prompt) Classification was won by the lovely hoelywritingsx! Having already won the Challenge Classification in the TDFFC, this wonderful competitor showed off her ability across multiple prompts by scooping up a different classification this time around. Look out for next year’s Giro- maybe her streak will continue? Below is her hard-earned prize!

The Hilly (or AU) Classification was won by @blackmojito81! As mentioned before, the rest day goals are a vital part of the Fanwork Classification- and that was how this competitor rose head and shoulders above their competitors! Congratulations for your dedication to this community, and your commenting profligacy! Below is your prize!

The ITT (or Challenge) Classification was jointly won by @fag-the-wholewideworld and @idk-why-im-here-can-someone-help! It was a close race, and it was a nailbiter of a finish (went all the way to a tiebreaker)! Both deserve praise for their bravery in attempting the difficult challenges! Well done!

The Rest Day Goals were met by two people- our resplendent maillot chispeante as well as @mundanememory, who both get these laurels to crown themselves with! Interacting with other works is a vital part of fandom and how a community grows, so we’re grateful that you two did so!

Thank you again to everyone who participated or at least followed along or read anything from this challenge- it was an honour and privilege for us to mod it! The Grand Tour season is over, and the next Fanwork Classification will be for the Giro next May. Keep an eye on this blog, however- we’re going to be reblogging events and challenges people might like to take part in over the offseason! Also, we may be brewing up a slightly different offseason event ourselves: watch this space for any recruitment we might be doing.

It’s another challenge stage! Get out of your comfort zone, and create a fanwork in a media you don’t traditionally use! Further explanation can be found here.

Wait for your time, blow your nose, and remember to stay aero- it’s the first time trial! For our competitors it means the return of the dreaded challenge classification- where the prompt is harder, and our competitors are tested like nowhere else! This stage’s challenge is to write a fic with no dialogue- the explanation can be found on the blog.

Stage 5: Write a fic with no dialogue.

For this challenge, write a fic with no direct dialogue or description of what someone says.

Stage 13: Create a fanwork in a media you don’t normally use.

For this challenge, make something in a different media than you usually use. If you write fics, try gifmaking. If you do webweaves, try making a physical collage. If you make digital fanart, try to knit! This challenge is all about going outside of your comfort zone and experimenting with types of fanworks you wouldn’t otherwise create, so have fun!

After the rest day, the peloton challenges themselves with a time trial! For our competitors, this is the second of two challenges- this one is to write in the second person. It is also the first stage of our gauntlet classification, Hyperspecific Week, which means if you wish to compete in the gauntlet classification, you can make a fanwork for this stage as many time as you want- although only one fill will count towards the GC.

As the Giro is underway, the peleton faces a test of individual skill- a time trial stage. And over in the fanwork classification, you know that it means the competitors for the maglia glitterata face their first of two challenge stages. For this stage, competitors must remix a fic (with permission) to succeed! Remixing a fic has a long history in fandom, and will be an interesting challenge for our competitors.