"Then it can get dangerous" - Former teammate of Jonas Vingegaard worries about consequences of fan incidents in Spain

Jonas Vingegaard's crash this Monday in training has sparked a debate that seemed to be in the making for a long time. Pro cyclists train on open roads, and often alone - even if they are on training camps - however when does the request for pictures and following wheels become too much? It is a fine line to navigate; Tiesj Benoot and Greg van Avermaet have weighted in on the topic.

"It's become much busier there in recent years. As juniors, we stayed in Belgium and didn't go to training camp in Spain. Now, a lot of young people cycle there," Benoot said in words to Sporza. "Last week, you saw a lot of cycling tourists on the Coll de Rates who just wanted to watch the pros at work or ride among them." This is a constant between the months of December and January, where the pros travel to the Costa Blanca to train; and thousands of amateur and youth categories do the same, whilst having in mind also possibly running into the sports' best for a memorable moment.

The proximity that fans can have to the big stars is certainly one of the sport's most praised aspects, however it can become a downside to the athletes - the most well-known ones, usually. Whilst it won't cause of an issue in the grand majority of the times, Tadej Pogacar for example was quite clear that he wanted to not be disturbed during training last summer as he rode with a personalized shirt; and this week the leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike may have crashed due to a rider that was trying to follow him.

Visma confirmed the Dane did have a crash, but not the exact context. However according to one rider who was following him, this happened as the Dane looked to distance him. This is to be taken with a grain of salt on whether the Dane was indeed trying to isolate himself on the road, however the amateur athlete posted a picture behind Vingegaard and shared the story on Strava before Visma wrote the update on the Vuelta a España winner.

So where do you draw the line? "It becomes a problem when those cyclists ride next to you to take photos or if they nestle into the group. Then it can get dangerous. Those cycling tourists aren't as agile as we are," Benoot argues. "And it's simply not allowed. If it can be done respectfully and safely, it's not a problem. But it's a fine line where mutual respect is necessary to guarantee safety."

This also may become an issue for the popular riders, who travel for winter in these popular cycling destinations greatly over the calm roads, but no longer have that privilege anymore. "Just ask, and not many riders will refuse. I don't have a problem with it myself, as long as those people stay behind us. Then there's no problem."

Greg van Avermaert is no longer a pro, but continues to make his way into Spain often, and certainly notices the change from back in the days where he was the man on the spotlight. "Many people escape the winter and book a cycling holiday in Spain. It's nice for them to run into famous pros. But some colleagues simply keep riding if there are too many people at the spot where they want to stop for a coffee."

He provides a comparison with football, to try and put some sense onto a few riders who become disruptive to the pros: "If I, as a big football fan, were to encounter a top player, I would also dare to ask to take a photo but it shouldn't become disruptive. You don't ask to be on the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo, do you? You do that before or after training."

However the former Olympic champion also cannot say what is the ideal way to tackle the issue, as the responsibility usually lies on the rider following to ask to act right - whilst this does not always happen.

"It never bothered me per se, and sometimes I even had to laugh when we passed a cyclist who then tried to follow us anyway. But if you're training in a group of eight riders, for example, I wouldn't do it. What I do like is that people simply ask if it's okay to ride along. Some riders don't mind, others do. Just ask them."

"If it happens once, you just accept it. But guys like that get recognized everywhere," he understands. "Then maybe some kind of regulation is needed, or the team director's car, if there even is one, has to follow you and warn those people not to ride."