Fake Strava profile pretending to be Jonas Vingegaard ‘beats’ Tadej Pogačar’s KOM… possibly on a scooter; Cyclocross crash chaos; The duality of cyclists between Christmas and New Year; Council’s lack of payouts causes concern + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
What time's this?!
Someone’s keen to get the live blog cracking this morning…
"It's all happening here": Cyclocross crash chaos in Diegem as bizarre startline pile-up causes carnage... before Nys clips barrier and hands Del Grosso victory
The tone was set for a dramatic night of cyclocross from the start, Michael Vanthourenhout sent tumbling by a crash within seconds. My amateur timekeeping makes it around two seconds from when the riders are sent on their way to the contact which sent the Belgian sprawling and ended his chances in record time.
Un départ catastrophique pour Michael Vanthourenhout à Diegem ?❌#Cyclocross #Superprestige #Vanthourenhout #Diegem pic.twitter.com/l0RI9DnYu5
— Pickx Sports (@PickxSports) December 30, 2025
Once that bizarre startline stutter was out the way, Tibor Del Grosso and Thibau Nys renewed their burgeoning ‘cross rivalry, battling it out in the Dutch and Belgian national champs’ jerseys like Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have done so many times before. With Van der Poel hinting at cyclocross retirement after this winter, in Del Grosso vs Nys we’re looking at the future of the sport on the men’s side.
In this instance there was decisive moment (if not an expected one), Nys drifting too close to the edge of the course in the sand and hitting a pole, sending himself (and Joran Wyseure who was also with the Belgian rider) to the deck and leaving Del Grosso to fly by and regain an advantage he’d protect to the finish.
HUGE DRAMA IN DIEGEM ?
Elbows into a hairpin bend see Del Grosso grind to a halt before Thibau Nys crashes in the sand moments later! ? pic.twitter.com/mK9OTXCIBJ
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 30, 2025
The drama was captured by a sand-side fan’s phone too…
CHUTE DE THIBAU NYS pic.twitter.com/k0V6akWnbn
— Alex-is (@alreisor) December 30, 2025
There was plenty happening in the women’s race beforehand too, European champion Inge van der Heijden crashing in the first bend before mechanical misfortune gave Puck Pieterse a brief scare. That wasn’t enough to get Marie Schreiber back in it however and the Dutch rider secured her second win in Diegem.
Perfection from Puck ?
Not even a flat tyre could stop the Dutchwoman from taking her first win of the ‘Cross season ? pic.twitter.com/lOXNG6gtHO
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 30, 2025
A good night for the Dutch national champs’ jerseys, although we thought the fireworks were meant to be tonight…
"Great use of free will on display..."
Enjoy a musical ride down memory lane as Steve Thomas catches up with Lloyd Cole to talk all things bikes (and a bit of music)
If anyone missed this cracking interview from Steve Thomas with Lloyd Cole it makes enjoyable New Year’s Eve reading, if we do say so ourselves.
"I contacted his manager... almost": Belgian cyclocross race tried to lure Tadej Pogačar to star appearance
The organiser of the Superprestige cyclocross in Gullegem has revealed he made an ambitious bid to tempt Tadej Pogačar to race their event on January 3. Belgian broadcaster Sporza explained Stijn Tant winked when telling them how close they got… “Almost,” he said.
“But we’ve already made contacts for next year,” Tant added. There were apparently plenty of calls with Pogačar’s manager Alex Carrera but “ultimately, we were told no, because Pogačar was on a training camp at the time. So it didn’t fit into the schedule.”
Maybe next year… well, the year after if you’re still reading this in 2025… you know what I mean…
By-law change to benefit cyclists in one Welsh town
A council in Wales has agreed to change a local by-law to allow cyclists to ride through memorial gates at a country park.
Wales Online reports Neath Port Talbot Council will change the by-laws so that cyclists can continue journeys through Neath’s memorial gates at the Gnoll Country Park Estate, a move which was approved earlier this month.
Talk began in 2023, the plan proposed as a means of helping residents more easily access the town centre on foot or by bike. Can you tell there’s not much cycling news out there today?
The duality of man
Local paper reveals council has not paid any compensation to cyclists injured on city's cycle lanes during past five years
An important piece of local reporting in the Echo today, the newspaper reporting that Southend Council has declined to pay any compensation to cyclists injured on the city’s cycle lanes during the past five years, that despite there being 12 reported incidents, of which four were classed as serious.
The definition of ‘serious’ is reportedly linked to insurance definitions, where it could range from fractures to more significant harm. The local authority has confirmed all claims are assessed individually but none have resulted in payouts.
The Echo reported the cases included one cyclist who fell after hitting a pothole. Somewhat bizarrely given the nature of that incident and others cited in the piece, councillor Martin Terry said “as a keen cyclist” he believes “riders should take responsibility for their own safety – use lights, wear visible clothing and apply common sense”.
He added: “The evidence shows cycleways are relatively safe, with only 12 incidents in five years. Cyclists should ride at appropriate speeds, especially in shared spaces like City Beach, and respect pedestrians.”
A council spokesperson commented: “Cycling-related compensation claims in Southend are assessed and dealt with appropriately by the council’s insurers. This forms part of our ongoing work to maintain safe roads and cycle routes across the city.”
Happy New Year from everyone at road.cc
Right, that’s us for 2025, the pub’s calling…
In a late contender for the saddest person to grace the internet in 2025... someone sets up fake Strava profile pretending to be Jonas Vingegaard and 'beats' Tadej Pogačar's KOM on a scooter
You know what? I take that back, that’s actually quite funny…
Somebody got bored, created a Strava account under the name Jonas Vingegaard, and rode Coll de Rates on a scooter just to make the news. ??
Jonas Vingegaard is currently home in Denmark with his family, not in Spain. pic.twitter.com/Z54YsgzsLF
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) December 29, 2025
The Coll de Rates KOM fell again, but rather than Tadej Pogačar beating his own time it was his great rival Jonas Vingegaard atop the leaderboard. Well, sort of. The account said Jonas Vingegaard but closer inspection showed just 22 followers and a newly created profile, the Dane’s actual profile (which he stopped using several years ago) sitting a bit further down the leaderboard.
> Tadej Pogačar obliterates iconic Coll de Rates Strava KOM with 32km/h smashfest
Anyway, fake Jonas has now been removed and Pogačar restored to the top. Panic over (in case anyone was worried). Plot twist: the profile’s fake, but the effort isn’t… okay, wishful thinking. Let’s move on.
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
6 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
@mitsky Nail on head time there. Police, time, resource, all wrapped up in one little sentence.
@mdavidford Could that lack of fluency in English possibly be described as irksome?
@mdavidford Could that lack of fluency in English possibly be described as irksome?
@Mr Blackbird motorists who drink alcohol should be required to pass the test twice, once sober and once after three drinks in two hours. Then they can get an endorsement on their licence for driving home from the pub after a few pints.
In France, the closer the cyclist gets to the Mediterranean Sea, the weirder car drivers behave. Some of them being repeat road deliquents. Encounters with 13, 31, 34 and 84 may prove hairy. Drivers with plates showing 84 (Vaucluse) think light signalling is no longer necessary before making a turn or exiting a roundabout. Pity UAE Team came to the decision not to press charges.
@MaxiMinimalist We can fear such a ban to varying degrees. But I'd be surprised if it happens. Even if it does the police don't have the resource and time to deal with dangerous drivers. So I guess they will ignore it anway.
Sooner or later, there will be public calls for cycling ban on specific roads and / or at specific times of the day. The great divide that separates cyclists from drivers of motorized vehicles with 4-plus wheels isn't going to narrow anytime soon. In spite of the net-zero madness, there is zip political ambition to allocate massive funds to cycling, build proper infrastructure, elaborate a nationwide integrated cycling network, educate all road users. Why? Because motorists of all kinds are voters and taxpayers.
@Smoggysteve Right - as I say, though - that's a separate debate, that I'll leave to others.
AS I read this, I was wondering hao many other legal e-bikes may have been seized and crushed as a result of this bogus test? As I pointed out recently in a reply to a Facebook post that stated that e-bikes are limited to 25kph/15.5mph any bike, whether a pure pedal cycle or an e-bike, can exceed this speed if the rider can pedal hard enough, or when going downhill. The regulation just states that the motor must switch off at higher speeds. If the rider can achieve higher speeds unaided, that is legal. The test that the police used just demonstrated the maximum "speed" achieved by pedal power alone with no or little resistance can be much higher than the motor cut-off speed.
@ROOTminus1 Unfortunately, people will still do all they can to get past. the MGIFs can't help themselves and are a danger to everyone not only the cyclist.
6 thoughts on “Fake Strava profile pretending to be Jonas Vingegaard ‘beats’ Tadej Pogačar’s KOM… possibly on a scooter; Cyclocross crash chaos; The duality of cyclists between Christmas and New Year; Council’s lack of payouts causes concern + more on the live blog”
“Man with “generalised hatred
“Man with “generalised hatred of cyclists” arrested on suspicion of firing shots at group ride …”
Not sure why I can’t comment on the page:
https://road.cc/content/news/man-arrested-suspicion-firing-shots-group-ride-317455
Anything less than a significant prison term for this will simply send the message to others that gun violence against cyclists is OK.
Hi, we close comments on
Hi, we close comments on stories when someone has been arrested and there is likely going to be a trial. It’s to avoid any potential comments risking prejudicing the trial and to avoid possible contempt of court. While that’s for UK stories, we’ve done the same here.
Thanks and happy new year!
Understood.
Understood.
But as I’ve shown by my original comment, anyone can still post a message about any topic here so closing comments on the page itself may not provide foolproof prevention.
I don’t know if it is possible on Your site’s comments system, but maybe for situations like this: keep comments open but each post/reply requires approval?
I appreciate that requires more work on the Road CC team’s part, but it could help in some way to keep the conversation going.
What a great idea! That close
What a great idea! That close ratio 8-8T cassette makes choosing your favourite chainline a doddle without needing to do a pesky front shift.
Happy New year.
Happy New year.
Just seen what seemed like a feature length ad from Tunnocks.
Wishing us a happy 2026, claiming they’re still the same size.
But featuring cycling and fine scenery from Scotland.
And nice cycling too.
Happy New Year to you ktache!
Happy New Year to you ktache! Also to others on here.
Just rode out of the house in the old year to watch the bangs and share a song, and back in in the new.
Didn’t have any cake or coal on me though (or even oil)…