Are today’s pro cyclists more sportspersonlike than 20 years ago?

Rivalries are a part of sport, and for years we’ve seen and heard chirps and sass. Some sports tend to have more – think of Conor McGregor trolling his opponents. NHL star Brad Marchand is a piece of work. The Boston Bruins player likes to lick and kiss players on the other team. Boxer Mike Tyson famously trash-talked Lennox Lewis.

In cycling, there’s always been ego and bravado. “I slept like a baby the night before because I knew that I’d win the next day,” 5-time Tour de France champion Bernard Hinault once said.

If you watched cycling 20 years ago and compare it to now, you may notice something. After races, it’s common for a rider who loses (as in second) to congratulate the winner. That could be a fist bump, maybe even a hug. Even in interviews, riders tend to be far more complimentary to their rivals.

More humility in the peloton

Tadej Pogačar, one of the greatest riders in the world, is often quite humble in interviews. A great descender with fantastic technical skills, he downplayed his talent if he did cyclocross against Mathieu van der Poel. “I would say one day, but I think it’s not for me. Mathieu would probably lap me,” he laughed. “I cannot jump over the barriers and stuff like this either.” He doesn’t mention that he can jump over barriers or has won ‘cross before.

Former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong decided to weigh in on the subject because, well, Lance Armstrong. On a recent podcast with Danny Duncan, he said things were much different than in his day.

Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert had the most sportsmanlike crash

“This generation now, these guys go hammer, race each other, some guy will lose. The guy who wins is waiting at the finish line. They’re fucking hugging it out…I’m like, what?”

I’m impressed with this generation of cyclists. In many ways, they are more talented. But they do not compete like we did.

Hugs and high fives? This would have been totally foreign to me.

(via @DannyDuncan69) pic.twitter.com/rXJyB5rvPX

— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) March 14, 2024

The Texan didn’t stop there.

“You’re just waiting there so you can all hug this out? After you just lost? I’m not saying that our generation was the way to do it or that I was proud. I think it’s kind of cool to see, but it wasn’t like that for us. Never even crossed my mind,” he continued.

Armstrong explained that part of his motivation to beat riders would actually be based on him not liking a rival.

“I do think our generation’s racing was better. We didn’t hate each other, but even for me, nobody ever did anything to me that would have led me to be like I hate this motherfucker. I would make things up and read an article and be like, ‘well, I guess I could read it in a certain way, well, eff them,” he concluded.

Unwritten rules have always been there

There were times, however, in his day where rivals would be empathetic to each other. During the Armstrong-Ullrich duels in the Tour, both famously waited for the other in two separate crashes. That’s also part of the unwritten rules of pro cycling, however. You are never to try to make time on the yellow jersey or a rival when they have bad luck.

Armstrong and the late Marco Pantani had words for each other after the former “gifted” the Italian the win up Mont Ventoux in 2000. Pantani said the next day that he didn’t need any wins handed to him, thank you very much.

Was it purely sportsmanship by Jonas Vingegaard or also good tactics?

In the 2022 Jonas Vingegaard would wait for Tadej Pogačar after he crashed, which many deemed to be a great display of sportsmanship. (Although some argued it could have been a strategic move, given there were 40 km remaining.) In February, Adrien Petit got off his bike before crossing the finish line to check on Manuel Penalver, who had crashed.

Sure, there are times when the current pros can pass some playful words. Pog did a hilarious impression of Wout van Aert getting second in Stage 2 of the 2023 Tour de France, telling Adam Yates that WvA was “like a child. But it’s nothing like when Hinault was asked – after his teammate Greg LeMond seemed to have the Tour wrapped up – that the race wasn’t over yet on live TV.

Tadej Pogačar has been tweet-trolling Dan Martin for months and it’s the absolute best

If you compare races nowadays to the ‘90s, it is true that you see riders coming up to their opponents and giving them a fist bump. It’s not like sportsmanship and congratulating others didn’t exist; it just seems to happen more now. Is it a generational change? Or could there be other reasons?

Social media?

Basically, everyone has a phone now, so if you do something right – or wrong – it’s more than likely it will end up on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or others. Sure, there was TV coverage 20 years ago, but if you missed a moment of a cyclist being a jerk to another, it’s unlikely you’d be able to see it fill your timeline all day. Since, you know, the only timelines that existed were related to Star Wars; social media was a glint in Zuckerberg’s eye.

Team transfers

Cyclists tend to transfer to many more teams than in the past. Gone are the days where a rider may stay on the same squad for most of their careers. That could be due to more money or trying to find a more suitable outfit for their goals. After Primož Roglič was told to cool his jets at the Vuelta a España in 2023 to allow American Sepp Kuss to win, he peaced out quickly from Jumbo – Visma.

So riders may want to keep their comments to themselves about other riders or squads – because they never know if they may end up being teammates.

It could also be that this generation is simply nicer than the past, and the idea of being a jerk to your rival just isn’t cool anymore. Locker room behaviour is no longer acceptable, so maybe it’s just a case of the kids being all right.