{"id":443528,"date":"2026-01-28T19:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/443528\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T19:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:11:10","slug":"etiquette-guide-to-riding-safely-and-respectfully-with-pro-cyclists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/443528\/","title":{"rendered":"Etiquette Guide to Riding Safely and Respectfully with Pro Cyclists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated January 28, 2026 09:00AM<\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s been on the roads of Spain in the middle of January training camps<\/a> knows where to hang out to follow the pros like Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> or Demi Vollering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are a few go-to caf\u00e9s in Calpe where every coffee ride ends. Post up on the Coll de Rates and you\u2019ll quite literally bump into a Tour de France<\/a> winner or a world champion (or both).<\/p>\n

Unlike sports contested inside a stadium or on a closed-off court, pro racing lives on public roads.<\/p>\n

From Spain\u2019s Costa Blanca to Girona and Andorra to Nice, the world\u2019s best cyclists train shoulder-to-shoulder alongside mere mortals<\/a> and weekend warriors.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the magic of road racing. And that\u2019s also the curse.<\/p>\n

The crash involving Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> near M\u00e1laga this week didn\u2019t come out of nowhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a long-simmering toxic mix of pros on the open roads, trailed by sometimes overzealous fans on the hunt for viral footage.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a real-time social media craze that could only play out in cycling\u2019s unique reality.<\/p>\n

That quest is being aided and abetted by Strava heat maps, GoPro cameras, Instagram reels, and a junky-like need for social media hits.<\/p>\n

When the two-time Tour de France winner, evidently training alone, went down on a high-speed corner on Tuesday, it lifted the lid on a booming subculture of fans following the pros and posting videos on social media.<\/p>\n

Riding along with pros is the ultimate bike-geek status symbol.<\/p>\n

The incident raised some tricky questions. Are fans pushing too far? And how should anyone behave when they hitch the wheel with the world\u2019s best cyclists? Let\u2019s dive in:<\/p>\n

Wheel-sucking and selfies
\n\"Quick-StepSome teams bring team cars along on training rides, others don\u2019t when a rider is putting in long base days. (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

So what really happened?<\/p>\n

An amateur rider later shared a video and revealed on social media (where else?) he\u2019d been pacing behind Vingegaard on a well-known route near M\u00e1laga, saying that the Dane accelerated on the descent to create some space.<\/p>\n

Vingegaard evidently slipped out on a sweeping, wide-open road with a few chicanes, but nothing so challenging that a top pro can\u2019t handle.<\/p>\n

Exactly how Vingegaard crashed remains unclear.<\/p>\n

#D\u00e9cryptage<\/a> \ud83d\udd0e \/ Sur la Costa Blanca, le Coll de Rates est devenu un spot pris\u00e9 des pros et des amateurs. Mont\u00e9e accessible et terrain de jeu id\u00e9al pour chasser les KOM sur Strava, au point d\u2019en devenir parfois satur\u00e9. https:\/\/t.co\/HBxX0sdHHz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) January 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

When the rider saw Vingegaard on the ground, he wrote that he stopped to help and later posted a message on social media criticizing the Dane for being rude. Another passing rider also tried to help.<\/p>\n

In that circumstance, who wouldn\u2019t be a bit peeved?<\/p>\n

The social media backlash kicked off a firestorm in comments sections about who was right, who was wrong, and the bigger question of how to treat the pro cyclists when they\u2019re out on the road.<\/p>\n

For Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a>, the answer was clear: Give the pros some room.<\/p>\n

Rise of cycling\u2019s \u2018follow-the-pros\u2019 social media trend
\n\"socialDozens of super fans are posting videos while following pros on training rides. (Photo: IG\/screenshot)<\/p>\n

Curious fans have always followed the pros. That\u2019s nothing new.<\/p>\n

From back in the day when top international riders started to settle in Girona, everyone knew that if you hung out at a certain bridge at 10 a.m., you\u2019d be guaranteed to see some of the world\u2019s best pro cyclists.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new is how that super-fan passion is being monetized and turned into an influencer gig.<\/p>\n

The rise of Instagram and YouTube has upped the stakes for what that proximity to the stars means.<\/p>\n

What was once a few grainy, one-off video clips here and there is now a full-blown pursuit.<\/p>\n

Better cameras and familiarity with training routes thanks to mapping devices allow these two-wheeled paparazzi to track the pros with uncanny efficiency.<\/p>\n

There are now dozens of high-profile amateur accounts that create a quasi-career out of this. No one\u2019s breaking any laws and public roads are open to everyone.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s different now is that there are more and more people riding around looking for pros to capture that super clip that will go viral.<\/p>\n

Giving the pros space
\n\"CollColl de Rates is one of the iconic climbs along Spain\u2019s Costa Blanca. (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s etiquette and an unwritten code that\u2019s long outlined what pacing with the pros should look like.<\/p>\n

Most pros I\u2019ve spoken to over the years are remarkably tolerant. It\u2019s fine to join the group. Sit in at the back, don\u2019t get in the way, and don\u2019t do anything stupid.<\/p>\n

Easy, right?<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where things are getting out of control in this latest social media craze. Either the newbies don\u2019t know cycling\u2019s unwritten rules, or they ignore them.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to say who\u2019s to blame.<\/p>\n

Some characters behind the more high-profile social media accounts have become close friends with the pros. They\u2019re even invited by teams to join along on rides. After all, social media is good for everyone.<\/p>\n

They know the rules, and the pros respect them in part because they stay out of the way and because they have the riding chops to stay close (at least for a while).<\/p>\n

And many of these social media mavens are quick to police any other punter getting out of control.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often the copy-cats who create the worst problems.<\/p>\n

7 rules for riding with the pros
\n\"EFEF is among dozens of elite pro teams that hit Spain for pre-season camps. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n

The rules are simple. Here they are:<\/p>\n

1. Stay behind the pros: Easy enough. This isn\u2019t a group ride. The road is someone\u2019s workplace. You don\u2019t have the skills or motor to be anywhere else except at the back.
2. Don\u2019t take pulls: Don\u2019t be a hero and surge to the front and think the pros are looking for you to pitch in. They\u2019re not.
3. Don\u2019t try to drop them: \u2028Don\u2019t be an idiot and try to stay even with the pros or, even worse, try to go to the front. You won\u2019t be able to, and you\u2019ll only provoke a crash.
4. Put the phone away: Riding one-handed, leaning in for selfies, and drifting across lanes for a better angle \u2014 these are all red-flag no-nos.
5. Don\u2019t be a dork: Pros are used to fans asking for photos, autographs, and most always will have a few words for anyone making the effort to reach out. But also respect the limits. If Evenepoel is chatting away with Van der Poel, don\u2019t barge into the conversation and start talking tactics for the upcoming spring classics.
6. Give them space on descents: This should be obvious. Apparently, it isn\u2019t.
7. Be nice: Not all pros want to chat with people they don\u2019t know. They\u2019re human, after all. Say hello, say thanks, and be respectful of their space.<\/p>\n

Do this next time you\u2019re down in Calpe, and you\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n

And you might even get that viral reel anyway.<\/p>\n