Ion Göttlich

Who is Ion Göttlich?

Ion Göttlich is a fictional track cyclist and online personality created by South African animator Claudio Pavan. Presented as a larger-than-life Italian sprinter, the character debuted online in late 2014 and early 2015 and became known for short, humorous cycling clips and images.

Creator and origin

Claudio Pavan designed and animated Ion Göttlich as a satire and celebration of track cycling culture. Pavan developed the character during a holiday period and published the first videos that quickly gained viral attention among cycling fans.

Visual style and aesthetics

Ion is characterized by an exaggerated, superheroic physique with very large legs and a chunky, comic-book presence that writers have compared to the Incredible Hulk in cycling kit. His imagery typically places him on the velodrome or in sprinting contexts, often shown in track gear and in staged photos with real-world cyclists.

Content Type & Format

Ion Göttlich's content largely takes the form of short videos and staged photos posted to social platforms. Early clips show the character on rollers and on the track in brief, comedic sketches that highlight raw sprint power and cycling tropes.

His content themes center on cycling culture, sprinting, and fan-friendly parody. Posts often poke fun at professional cycling while celebrating its personalities, with visuals that mix animation and photographic staging to create playful interactions with real riders.

Ion appears on visual-first platforms such as Instagram and YouTube through static images, short video clips, and occasional longer pieces. The character has also been used in produced segments and commentary formats for broader cycling coverage.

Ion Göttlich Collaborations and Campaigns

Velodrome World Cup promotion: Ion Göttlich as promotional figure for a track cycling World Cup event in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in 2018. The character was featured in campaign imagery and short videos to draw attention to the event and the velodrome experience.

BORA-hansgrohe promotional campaign and Eurosport coverage: In 2019 Ion was linked to a lighthearted campaign around BORA-hansgrohe and was later presented in media tie-ins with Eurosport for the Tour de France. These efforts used short clips and social posts to weave the fictional sprinter into real race narratives and broadcast features.

Narrative and trivia

Within his fictional biography, Ion is presented as an Italian sprinter with a playful backstory and exaggerated physical statistics. The character blends invented sporting details with humorous self-mythology that fans often reference in comments and posts.

Media and recognition

Ion Göttlich has been covered by cycling and mainstream outlets for his viral debut and continued presence in the sport’s social conversation. Coverage has highlighted Claudio Pavan’s animation work and the way the character both satirizes and celebrates track cycling culture.