Originally Posted by
vane171
IThe way it looks to me, guy comes across as poking fun at the Italian group of riders. Like a noob at racing who is foolishly showing off his strength when the going is still easy and then not having the gumption to stay on later in the race. The pranks slowing him down strike me as deserved but that depends how you read the whole scene. You are probably right, but really one should see the whole movie.
.
Without the larger context, you're really missing the point. He isn't poking fun at the Italian riders, he idolizes them, and wants to be accepted as a fellow competitor. They try to swat him away by changing his gears, but his determination remains relentless. His hero worship of the Italians is shattered when they wreck him with the pump to the spokes. The Italians are not the good guys in this scene.