“Completely made up”: Cycling page with thousands of followers spreads bizarre fake stories, including one claiming Tadej Pogačar confronted by Greta Thunberg during TV interview; Incredibly serious Zwift safety concerns… (not) + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Completely made up": Cycling page with thousands of followers spreads bizarre fake stories, including one claiming Tadej Pogačar clashed with Greta Thunberg during a TV interview
Here’s a rather bizarre start to Thursday for you: a Facebook page presenting itself as a news site appears to be chasing engagement with completely made-up ‘stories’ about pro cyclists.
The reviews of the page from fed-up people who keep seeing the posts on their feed include plenty of mentions of ‘fake news’, but this week’s (now deleted) one has attracted particular attention for claiming Tadej Pogačar “was unexpectedly interrupted” by Greta Thunberg during a TV interview and “was publicly called a ‘traitor’ for refusing to join a LGBTQ+ awareness and climate change campaign”.
We told you it was bizarre.
Now, it would be all too easy to dismiss this. Who could possibly believe that’s true? But the page in question has thousands of followers (enough to fill most League One football clubs’ stadiums) and the comments and reactions suggested some were taking the ‘news’ seriously.
Furthermore, as cycling journalist Peter Stuart pointed out on in a post on LinkedIn, the fake post was then appearing in Google’s AI overview.
“Pogačar was allegedly interrupted by activist Greta Thunberg during a live television appearance,” the AI Overview told readers searching for any news about Pogačar and Thunberg.
“Reports suggest Thunberg criticised Pogačar regarding environmental campaign participation, to which the cyclist responded calmly, causing the studio audience to applaud him.”
Fortunately the discussion around the page’s fake stories, and Google AI’s interpretation of them, means it now flags it all as made-up, but what strange times we’re living through…
Was there ever any doubt?
Different bike, same outcome 👊🏻
Despite last-minute changes from TT bikes to road bikes, time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel still won Stage 2 of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana ahead of teammate Aleksandr Vlasov 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/vwgf4c6tCc
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 5, 2026
Racing round-up: Lorena Wiebes gets 2026 underway with a win, but Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana time trial neutralised due to strong wins
Wiebes wins with ease 😮💨
Lorena Wiebes proved once again she’s the woman to beat in the sprints, delivering another imperious performance to take her 119th career win on Stage 1 of the UAE Women’s Tour 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/D39RCFz1kr
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 5, 2026
The sprint queen is up and running in 2026. New year, same result, this first stage of the UAE Women’s Tour all too familiar for every other team trying to get Wiebes beat. Just look at that gap back to Lara Gillespie and Zoe Bäckstedt.
Over in Spain, the TT at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana has been neutralised amid strong winds and reports of roadside barriers being blown over. The stage win is still up for grabs and Remco Evenepoel has just rolled down the start ramp as we speak. He’ll have to beat Brandon McNulty’s 20.47, so we should know fairly soon.
On the decision to neutralise the GC, the organisers confirmed: “As a result of the safety protocol meeting, comprising the various departments previously communicated, and following a thorough analysis of the situation and the conditions under which the stage will be conducted, the decision has been taken to proceed with the start in accordance to the planned route.
“Nevertheless, it has been agreed that the times recorded will not count towards the general classification. The stage will have a stage winner, and the corresponding podium ceremony will be held in accordance with the established protocol.”
British cycling clothing brand Le Col bought by Head Group, months on from founder's departure following years of heavy losses
Common sense prevails (for now)... Ineos Grenadiers don black shorts
View this post on Instagram
The grey/white ones are gone and Ineos are back in black. Maybe someone’s pointed out to a chief bean-counter behind-the-scenes just how much extra washing the white ones would have meant? Those controversial shorts did get an outing in Aus recently, but the reality of European weather vs summer Down Under might have forced their hand.
Pro cyclist struck by speeding 100kph driver in alleged hit and run – despite being "perfectly visible" with hi-vis jersey and flashing light
"Not the best start to the year, but I'll bounce back": Mads Pedersen breaks collarbone and wrist in crash in first race of the season, faces disrupted classics prep
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A tough start to 2026 for Mads Pedersen, the Dane crashing and breaking his collarbone and wrist on stage one of Volta a la Communitat Valenciana.
Pedersen is undergoing surgery on his collarbone today, the wrist injury not believed to require an operation as things stand.
It all puts his spring classics campaign up in the air, at the very least disrupting his early-season racing and prep for the cobbles.
“Not the best start of the year,” Pedersen wrote on Instagram. “I’ll bounce back.”
Lime bike boss proposes adjusting traffic lights "to reward safe cyclists"
But can Matt Richardson do this?
Dutch cyclist Piet Van Kempen having breakfast at a six-day event in 1936
📷Derek Berwin
— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 4 February 2026 at 17:48
European Track Championships: Matt Richardson ends Harrie Lavreysen's seven-year winning run + Josie Knight breaks individual pursuit world record
It was another successful day for the Brits in Konya at the 2026 UEC Track Elite European Championships, Josie Knight and Matt Richardson adding another two gold medals to the tally. Great Britain sit at the top of the leaderboard heading into the final day of competition.
Richardson ended world champion Harrie Lavreysen’s unbeaten run in the sprint, this the first time that Dutchman has lost the event since 2019. Lavreysen took the first race before Richardson landed the second, the first time he’s ever beaten the 19-time world champion over the line.
In the decider, Richardson launched with one lap to go and held off Lavreysen to take a stunning win.
“It was hopefully an exciting final for the people watching at home,” Richardson said afterwards. “I certainly enjoyed myself; It was a really hard-fought battle. I’ve been working on trying to beat Harrie for many many years and always fell a little bit short so it’s really satisfying to finally get on that top step. I’m really proud to be able to wear this jersey for the next year and I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”
Elsewhere, Josie Knight regained the European individual pursuit title, setting a world record in the process. Knight’s time of 4:19.461 took 4.181 seconds off Vittoria Bussi’s previous record from May 2025. Teammate Millie Couzens won bronze to make it a British 1-3 on the podium.
Incredibly serious Zwift safety concerns... (not)
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I think the author is trying too hard to "both sides" this one. The basic error is Gove's - he was wandering across a pedestrian crossing on red for him with his head in a cup of coffee, and started well after it was on red. The Highway Code says "should not cross" in these circumstances. He then tried to excuse this by red herrings. Conservatives, including Gove, are supposed to have taking personal responsibility for their actions as a core value. Perhaps having the crooked coward Boris Johnson and Fruit Loop Liz as elected leaders demonstrates that this is merely historical. Gove is permitting a culture war being fought in the pages of his magazine; that is a war where Conservatives are demonising cycling because they hope it will save the rump Conservative Party. One example was their sudden reversal of support for the Welsh 20mph default limit. Should noodles have reacted less sharply - perhaps. A chat with Michael Gove to stop him wandering around the streets like a lobotomised koala may have been beneficial.
@mdavidford Funny, as soon as I saw your comment on the ticker on another article I knew to whom you must be replying.
@mctrials23 People have been suffering for years because they have been unlucky enough to have been hired by bad people, or had the bad luck to become ill. This is just bringing the system more into balance. I don't have a problem with encouraging people to start businesses but I don't agree with doing it by letting them exploit the poor and the desperate, if they need encouragement then offer state benefits for small businesses and use the claims process to make sure that they are doing everything they should to run the business properly including paying and training their employees. If they just want to get rich quick by exploiting others then they should be in the USA.
One may wonder why you've brought up DEI when it has nothing at all to do with anything in what Lappartient said. Or why you care about the state of the women's sport if you're so down on diversity, equity and inclusion. 🤷♂️
Not quite the first time, I rode over it back in the late twentyteens, just happened to see it was jammed nose-to-tail so thought it would be fun to filter along...turned out there was an overturned lorry at the eastern end blocking all carriageways. I honestly didn't know cycling was banned (the signs aren't very prominent), just assumed nobody rode on it because it would be suicidal in normal circumstances. Fortunately the weary copper at the other end who saw me just cut off my apologies and said, "Fuck off over there [a gap in the barrier to a slip road] and don't do it again."
They're not slalom barriers, they're Sheffield stands for parking your bike.
@momove I would think that spending time training someone up, putting the time and effort into that only to have most people move on relatively quickly isn't a great business model. I know there is the argument that "if your business has to take advantage of people to run then its not a viable business" but thats the reality of some of these shops. Up to a point, thats exactly what apprenticeships have always been. A business get cheap labour that might help them a bit and the apprentice learns something.
One may wonder why bureaucrat Lappartient wants to reinvent the wheel with a massive injection of DEI and drastic reduction of money. Let the best cyclists win, period. Meanwhile, women's pro peloton needs means and support to attract new sponsors, increase TV coverage, improve salaries and prize money.
So they want to pay people a pittance "for the experience", not record their leave accrued, have them ineligible for sickness pay, then complain about them not being experts on e-bikes, bikefitting and more?
No right-wing media frothing about this?
6 thoughts on ““Completely made up”: Cycling page with thousands of followers spreads bizarre fake stories, including one claiming Tadej Pogačar confronted by Greta Thunberg during TV interview; Incredibly serious Zwift safety concerns… (not) + more on the live blog”
I think perhaps you meant the first time that he’s not failed to lose it.
Didn’t we see Van Kempen’s bike on the blog a couple of weeks ago?
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-22-january-2026-317755#Mother%20of%20God!
It appears the Irish government previously discussed plans to make helmets and hiviz mandatory for ebikes and escooters are being extended to apply to bicycles too: https://irishcycle.com/2026/02/04/all-bicycles-included-in-draft-plan-for-mandatory-helmets-and-high-vis-department-confirms/
Write to your TDs now!
https://road.cc/content/news/ireland-introduce-helmet-and-hi-vis-laws-cyclists-317819
Check the dates. That road.cc article is from January 26th, and the Irishcycle article is from February 4th. As the Irishcycle article states:
” today was the first time that they have made it clear that all bicycles are included in the draft plans”.
I.e., this story has developed since the road.cc article you’ve referred to.
That wouldn’t surprise me :-/
Maybe you should update the previous thread, it’ll probably be lost in here.