'Do you ever feel like maybe it's not worth it?' – last week in cycling's social media

"Do you ever feel like maybe it's not worth it?" Asked Anders Mielke of Mads Pedersen two years ago. An excerpt from this video, included right at the end of this page, was published just days after the Dane fractured his collar bone and wrist at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana on Wednesday. Pederson answered, "Yes."

For every good race is the risk that it might end in disaster; in a broken collar bone, in severe burns and skin abrasions, or worse. And the question of rider safety is never far from the industry's collective mind, most recently been embodied in the AeroBag, a self-inflating protection mechanism worn under riders' clothes. Whether they will take the peloton by storm remains to be seen, but the company confirmed to Cycling Weekly that Picnic PostNL and Visma Lease a Bike have received kits and are ready to start testing.

But it's not all serious in this week's social media round up. We've got rider make-overs, artistic tributes to brilliant bikes and Matthew Brennan struggling to see. Eclectic. Enjoy!

1. Tadej Pogačar has been seen sporting a new hair do inspired by his childhood rap hero, Eminem. “Can the real one stand up please?” wrote Mathieu van der Poel in the comments below.

2. Matthew Brennan finished second in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday after launching an early sprint having mistaken a 300m sign for a 200m one. "I felt like I had really good legs there, so I'm just going to get my eyes tested" Brennan joked after the race.

3. After a brief bout of self-depreciation online, Brennan joined the seven-time grand slam winning tennis player Carlos Garfia on a plane ride home. Currently ranked first in the world, Garfia joined the Brit fresh off the back of his Australian Open win. A good omen for our British star?

4. Movistar also left Australia for rainier places this week. British track champion, Carys Lloyd shared a post celebrating the “many highs and a few lows” of life down under.

5. A few weeks ago, James Shrubsall wrote a piece about the state of the cycling kit industry, after Rapha closed some of its Clubhouses, Le Col lost its founder and Endura staff face redundancies amid a location switch. But have we been asking the wrong questions…?

6. After sustained criticism of Ineos Grenadiers’ questionable white-grey shorts, the team have confirmed that they will be swapping to black for the 'European spring'. Polish national champion and 2024 Tour de France Femmes winner, Kasia Niewiadoma knows something of the white-kit struggle: "One thing I learnt since becoming national champ.. white kit maintenance is nearly as difficult as staying calm when being half wheeled on an easy recovery ride."

7. "Tell us it’s not AI,” pleads the official Giro d’Italia Instagram account next to this video posted by Chris Froome. "Any guesses how many grand tour wins are sitting at this table?"

8. Ever loved a bike so much it made you make art? This illustrator has made a ten-page digital zine dedicated to his electric Surly cargo bike.

9. Biniam Girmay’s Valencia win, live from the NSN team car. Warning: prepare for screaming.

10. "Do you ever feel that it’s not worth it?" Anders Mielke asked Mads Pederson in an interview for the Paris 2024 Olympics. "Yes" he replied. The video was posted a day after the former World Champion fractured his collarbone at the beginning of this month. "Hope to see you back chasing cobbles soon."