Who are the nicest pro cyclists?
I'm wondering who are the most (and least!) nice / friendly pro cyclists.
42 comments · 61% upvoted · other discussions
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Pleasurebringer
epi_counts
According to my dad: Wout Poels. He lives (when he's in the NL) close to my parents and visited the cafe my dad hangs out in the other day. My dad and a friend of his tried to take a picture with him, but aren't really clued up on how to use phones, so they held it the wrong way round and now I've got a pic of my dad's friend looking confused rather than Poels.
Poels didn't correct them though, so maybe he isn't that nice after all.
hannahrosemary25
I've yet to hear anyone with a bad word to say about Geraint Thomas
highrouleur
Apperently he was often getting in scraps in his academy days so there's probably a few folk round Manchester way that don't like him much
Twurb
From what I've seen from videos and media, Matt Hayman, Daryl Impey, and Andre Greipel all seem like really nice people.
YarongCunt
Greipel actually has a sense of humour - which is strange for a German.
trntbks
I've heard solid things about Mike Woods, plus he is a fellow Canadian. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's humble and jazzed about getting into cycling late in the game and now being a pro.
cjbest
Have met Mike. Very kind and open guy. Svein Tuft seems laid back and gentlemanly, too.
[deleted]
Met Mike Woods at the Montreal race. My friend and I were over at the Cannondale bus, drooling over the bikes. He came out, said hi, and took his bike out and explained the electronic drive train, wheels and geometry to us. He had us pick it up, get our hands all over it. My buddy asked him if he could ride it, but that was the line he drew. He posed for pics with us, and was overall a very humble Canadian dude.
[deleted]
Well, it's an interesting question and there's three ways of answering this.
The first one, easiest but not necessarily the best, is media : interviews, racing videos, tweets, facebook, general online presence.
The second one is better, it's the accumulation of anecdotes, like /u/epi_counts whose dad met Poels who seemed cool. So fans meeting riders, guys who used to ride with them when they were young, etc.
The last one, probably the hardest to know, is experience from other riders in races and teammates. For all I know, some riders could seem super nice in a video but be a complete cunt in the peloton. Also I think that competition is fierce in races, guys are fighting for a contract, etc, big names are protected and privileged, so I think in the peloton there is a lot tension, it's tough. Typically in a race like Roubaix, I'm like 90% sure big names like Sagan, GVA, Boonen and half of Quickstep and Lotto are complete cunts to small riders.
So judging by the first one which is all I have, Hayman, Chaves, Impey, Durbridge, Howson, basically half of Orica seems super nice. Boonen seems cool but wise, although I'm like 90% sure this dude is an animal when partying, like blow, huge amounts of alcohol, and pretty girls. Kittel and Martin seem like super level-headed and professional guys, at least on Facebook they seem so. A lot of other guys seem nice too.
... but like I said, for all I know these guys could be assholes "In real life".
jollygoodvelo
Good thinking, I think it's very likely that at least some riders have a "public face". Last year there were rumours that super-smiley Chaves was rather more demanding of his team when there were no cameras around, for example -and I've no problem with that.
Whereas I can't imagine G or Tom D getting shouty.
[deleted]
Marianne Vos got to be among the nicest.
aahahaaalulz
Esteban Chavez seems to me to be the kindest, warmest, most positive athlete I can recall ever seeing.
J_90
It's probably someone that nobody has thought about really, but on the face of it - Bardet, Hansen, Chavez, Kittel, Hayman, Cummings. Most of Cannondale seem to be nice guys - honorable mentions to Phinney and Howes. So basically, I'd say a lot.
StereotypicalAussie
Alex Dowsett (Movistar, sadly didn't make the TdF team) is a really nice guy. Riding around Essex he almost never has both hands on the bars as he's always waving to everyone else, usually has time for a chat and even takes place in local races and TT's, no airs and graces about him.
tkwouter
By all accounts Tom Dumoulin is very much liked and respected in the Peloton. Being friendly must have at least something to do with that.
[deleted]
Svein Tuft seems to be one chill dude according to the BSP's and a few interviews.
highrouleur
Alex Dowsett is a top bloke, chatted to him a few times including after a 25 mile TT we both rode. Was more interested in how I'd done than his own ride despite him being about 15 minutes quicker
jnagle1892
From all I've read, these guys have been mentioned as nice guys/well liked in the peloton. Larry Warbasse Andre Griepel Peter Sagan Tom Dumoulin Matthew Hayman Tom Boonen (Retired)
Off the top of my head, any others?
UnitedRoad18
From same hometown as Larry & went to same high school- the weekend after his US Nats he was home doing a popular charity ride (not for him, it's an annual thing) and he was taking pictures with kids and spending time with the locals in his USA jersey. He's an incredibly nice and humble guy.
Krag_SkullSmasher
From my own experience Luke Rowe is a pretty cool bloke. Had a bit of a chat with him at the tour of Britain one year.
Avila99
Well, not Terpstra, that's for sure.
rockidr4
I think we can all agree that Mark Cavendish is just the absolute worst \sheseemsaight
hannahrosemary25
I've watched him stand outside the team bus with fans for over half an hour at the Tour of Britain signing/taking photos etc but properly talking to all the little kids - asking them how old they were, whether they liked riding their bikes, whether they'd had a fun day etc and being super smiley and patient. I liked him before that but that definitely sealed my opinion that (off the bike at least) he's one of the good ones.
BigChinkyEyes
He seems incredibly friendly as a person. As a rider/teammate I feel like he would be terrifyingly aggressive just cause that's his racing nature.
johnjackjoe
She seems aight? ;)
Esteban Chavez. He is the guy I want to pick up my daughter for a date one day.
katachtig 16 points · Jul 2017 · :saunierduval: Saunier Duval
He is so pure at heart, I can't handle it. I have been genuinely thinking of hanging a framed picture of him on my wall to counteract my grumpiness. (Does anyone have a good pic? I can't find a goos one)
blueshyvana 9 points · Jul 2017
Ok im biased because well i Colombian but so far all the Colombian riders (of this era) are good guys and they show the best of our Colombian spirit ( we can be bad, corrupt and we have our history full of bad guys) ; all our riders are from diferent states so we have rolos like Chavez, paisas like uran or boyacos as Quintana and they all are just humble guys, maybe, because most of them comea from poor or medium class families.
If you love Chavez for his smile and happy spirit then i bet for sure you would love how spontaneous and crazy is Rigo, that guy is a treasure in the way he talks, too bad the way he talks is almost impossible to translate to englis , the same for Quintana , who is from Boyaca and peiple there are really shy and quiet but hard workers and not only them , pantano, gaviria, anacona, atapuma all of them are really good Colombians and We arw proud of them...
You know how much we love Cycling? Well we have 3 channels covering the tour: caracol, espn, and the national channel and all those channels have journalist, casters and former pro riders as Santiago Botero doing commentary.
So thank you for picking Chavez as one of your favorite riders!