Sagan vs. scammers, Fuglsang wins Ruta del Sol opener: Daily News Digest
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Hello again, CyclingTips readers!
Have you ever been training really hard for an upcoming race only to have to take time out of your sessions to deny being involved in a get-rich-quick scheme? Peter Sagan has.
Scammers decided to use the Slovakian’s name and likeness to promote the scheme via a fabricated article that claimed Sagan had appeared on television endorsing the program. Sagan was not alone in being referenced by the bogus story – supposedly, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates all backed the scheme as well.
After the “article” emerged, Sagan took a moment away from his busy Classics training to tweet out in both English and Slovakian that he was not actually involved in the scam. File this one under bizarre.
Until next time, readers.
What’s news
| Scammers use Sagan’s name and likeness to promote get-rich-quick scheme
Peter Sagan was compelled to tweet out a denial of being involved in a get-rich-quick scheme after a fake article emerged that claimed he was a supporter of the program. The scam story featured fake quotes and alleged that Sagan appeared on a television program promoting the scheme, which involved investing in cryptocurrency.
“I categorically deny having any involvement, in any form, in what is mentioned in this article,” Sagan wrote on Twitter, providing a link that we won’t advise clicking on considering the abundance of sketchy links throughout the post. “I have never been in contact with any of the persons or companies mentioned and any allegation to the contrary is false.”
| Fuglsang wins Ruta del Sol opener
Ruta del Sol defending champ Jakob Fuglsang won the opening stage of the race after battling with Mikel Landa in the finale. Landa’s Bahrain-McLaren teammate Dylan Teuns took third on the day.
The race was Fuglsang’s first of the year, and his first since his name appeared in reports in Scandinavian media alleging that the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) had information suggesting he had been working with banned doctor Michele Ferrari. The CADF ultimately issued a statement clarifying that it had looked into the information and decided against disciplinary action, and expressed regret that the report was leaked.
| Jakobsen tops Viviani in Algarve
Fabio Jakobsen out-sprinted former Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammate Elia Viviani on the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve on Wednesday in Lagos. Matteo Trentin nabbed third.
Jakobsen earned the first leader’s jersey on the day but with no bonus seconds on offer at the finish, he sits on the same time as the rest of the pack.
| Sharakova takes Dubai Women’s Tour lead
Belarusian national champ Tatsiana Sharakova powered into the race lead at the Dubai Women’s Tour on Wednesday, winning the punchy third stage at Hatta Dam.
Sharakova topped Daniela Atehortua and Lucy van der Haar on the day and now sits four seconds ahead of van der Haar in the GC, with overnight leader Samah Khaled dropping to third, 11 seconds back.
| Report: Two-time Tour stage winner Mercado under investigation for links to criminal gang
Granada Hoy reports that retired pro Juan Miguel Mercado, a two-time Tour de France stage winner, is under investigation for allegedly being involved with a group of burglars. According to Granada Hoy, police are looking into a string of crimes in the Granada area and other suspects have already been arrested.
Mercado won stages of the Tour in 2004 and 2006 and also took a stage and fifth overall at the 2001 Vuelta a España.
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY NEWS DIGEST PODCASTToday’s feature image of Jakob Fuglsang winning stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol comes from Cor Vos.
The post Sagan vs. scammers, Fuglsang wins Ruta del Sol opener: Daily News Digest appeared first on CyclingTips.