World champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has publicly criticised a fan's behaviour in a Strava post following a training ride on Spain's Valencia coast. The incident follows recent confrontations between professional cyclists and the public on open roads.
In the description accompanying his ride upload on February 11, Pogačar detailed an encounter in which a fan approached him for a photograph while he was already mid-conversation. According to the Slovenian's account, when he asked the individual to wait two minutes, the reaction was immediately hostile.
"If you find me in conversation with someone and you ask me for photo, I ask you to give me two minutes to finish talk. Do you wait two minutes or show me middle finger and take off angry? (And have your partner yelling at me?)" Pogačar wrote.
He added: "Long day ended with losing biggest fan. BTW, I love you all. Heck I even like the fans that are not my supporters but don't have attitude of spoiled teenager."
Vingegaard's Málaga crash
Pogačar's post arrives just over two weeks after Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) crashed on a descent near Málaga on January 26, sustaining facial injuries after reportedly accelerating to distance himself from an amateur cyclist tailing him downhill.
Visma-Lease a Bike subsequently issued a statement urging restraint. "As a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first. For both your own and others' wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible," the team said.
The amateur involved disputed the framing on his own Strava account. "You can be professional, but you can also be humble," he wrote.
Both incidents took place during the European winter training window, when WorldTour riders train along Spain's Mediterranean coast and are highly accessible to local cyclists and fans seeking social media content.
Pogačar is scheduled to open his u2026 race calendar at Strade Bianche in March. Vingegaard was initially slated to resume competition at the UAE Tour later this month but has withdrawn due to his injuries and illness. He is now expected to open his season at the Volta a Catalunya in March as he targets a Giro-Tour double.
