Cyclists dumbfounded by bizarre online conspiracy theory claiming bike inner tube valve is a "5G antenna tracking device" inserted under skin after Covid jab

The internet can be a bizarre place at the best of times, but one social media page dedicated to unearthing the very worst medical takes and opinions out there on the web has taken things up a level with this utterly bemusing (and a bit amusing) cycling-related Covid conspiracy theory.

It seems to have originated on Facebook, that respected beacon of knowledge and fact, but has gone viral on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter (equally respected as Facebook for its commitment to knowledge and fact), after being reshared in a Bad Medical Takes post that has been viewed more than one million times in the past couple of days.

The Facebook poster claimed a "5g antenna tracking device" had come out when they rubbed the "injection site" having had their Covid vaccine. You've probably got a few questions, but not as many as you'll have once you've seen said "5g antenna"...

 Needless to say the debacle reached the cycling community not long after, supplying endless comedic material...

Appears she’s gone tubeless https://t.co/9Pm0drKCt4

— such things as dreams are made of 山 (@diminutivefox) April 28, 2024

Laugh as you might at the chances of the powers that be injecting the population with inner tube valves, another Twitter user going by the name of Las Pasiones de Gundam joked that they too had experienced similar.

That's nothing- I got the COVID vax, and two days later, this came out of my fucking arm! pic.twitter.com/3c5d4vhqWR

— Las Pasiones de Gundam (@Egregious_XII) April 28, 2024

Honourable mentions to the commenters who contributed "She thought she had long Covid, turned out she was just tyred" and "Hey, presta, and there it was..." to the discussion.

It's all true - I've got two of those on my bike and if you go on a certain website* you can see everywhere I've been.

*strava

— Stephen Kingdom (@CyclingTheSeaso) April 29, 2024

The pandemic prompted more than a few vaccine-related cycling stories, the pick of the bunch being that former pro cyclist Riccardo Riccò, serving a lifetime doping ban, did not want "who knows what sh*t" Covid vaccine.

"You can get injected with who knows what shit too, but don’t fuck [over] people like me that have been well informed (by doctors)," he said.

Riccò was sanctioned three times by anti-doping authorities during and after his career, notably being thrown out of the 2008 Tour de France and banned for 20 months after testing positive for an EPO variant.

In 2010, Riccò was rushed to hospital in a critical condition with kidney failure and sepsis following a botched blood transfusion. The incident led to him being sacked by his new team, Vacansoleil, and at the time of the lifetime suspension he was already serving a 12-year ban.

Retired American pro Andrew Talansky also ranted about the vaccine on social media, claiming to end the "scamdemic" people should "stop living in fear. Stop getting tested. Stop injecting toxins. Stop supporting segregation. Stop buying into the crap you are force fed daily and learn to think for yourself. START taking responsibility for your own health through diet and exercise!"

In November 2021, former Italian pro Filippo Pozzato said Covid is not "bullshit" and called himself an "idiot" for being unvaccinated after being admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia after catching Covid.

"Don't mess with fire, I burned myself," Pozzato said of his own situation. "Why hadn't I been vaccinated before? Because I have always felt strong, I have been among people who had Covid and nothing had ever happened. I was an idiot, and I have taken a good beating.

"Everyone says that Covid looks like bullshit, but when you take it you understand that it is not at all. I hope to get over this very bad moment as soon as possible."