A video showing a cyclist drafting closely behind a hire car in the Canary Islands has sparked anger on social media, but not in the way you might expect.
Local blogger Jose Miguel Arraez Guadalupe uploaded a 40-second video to Facebook and Instagram showing a driver and cyclist travelling along the LZ-1, a major road on the island connecting several tourist attractions.
Arraez Guadalupe introduced his video with the words “suicides around the world”, and many social media users expressed their concern for the cyclist’s safety if the car in front had to brake. Other commenters chose to explain and justify the process of drafting behind a car and why a cyclist would do it.
The cyclist’s extremely close proximity to the back of the Citroen Berlingo van is not explicitly illegal. Spanish traffic regulations dictate, like in the UK, that cyclist must comply with the same rules as vehicle users. In addition, English-language outlet Canarian Weekly reports that “cyclists must normally ride on the hard shoulder to their right and may only leave it during descents if conditions are considered safe. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to €200.” Cyclists are also permitted to ride two abreast, “as close as possible to the right-hand side of the road”.
Yesterday, we reported on the British club cyclists training on Tenerife who were close-passed when riding single-file by accelerating motorcyclists despite maintaining a position on the right-hand side of the lane.
What also came from the upload was a flurry of comments complaining about the overtourism that is disturbing the livelihoods of locals. The comments appeared to be motivated by a hire car sticker that could be spotted in the van’s rear windscreen, coupled with the relatively slower speed of the cyclist compared to the other road traffic.
“I am sorry to say I’m almost certain this is some foreigner who is training, the problem is that they think they have the right to do this in our country, do you think in their country they would? Of course not,” wrote one resident.
Another added “The thing about cyclists on this island is worth studying, hopefully soon they will be charged a traffic tax since they own the island’s roads.”
And finally, “I feel sorry for cyclists but they are a real pain and the island is not adapted to them. They do what they want and then comes the whining and ruin the lives of others for not having a little respect on the roads.”
Cyclists and respect on the road is a well-worn ‘debate’ that no one wants to constantly relitigate. But overtourism is a growing political topic in Spain, and particularly acute in the Canary Islands. Between 20,000 and 50,000 people joined protests in 2024 calling for visitor numbers to be frozen, sparking similar protests in several major cities including Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian.
The Islands have become a popular year-round destination for cyclo-tourists due to their year-round warmer temperatures and the diversity of terrain. The Teide volcano on Tenerife is also a popular site for professional cyclists to base themselves for altitude training for weeks at a time, particularly during the spring and early summer in preparation for Grand Tours. Winter training camps are meanwhile often held on the mainland around Calpe, Alicante on the Spanish east coast, taking advantage of cheaper hotel prices out of peak season.
And the Canary Islands aren’t the only Spanish islands to be ‘struggling’ with cyclotourists. Locals in Mallorca were up in arms last March after complaining that the closed roads for the Mallorca 312 sportive made the island into a “theme park”. It turns out cycling holidays are not a holiday from some of the dangers of road cycling we might find at home.
28 thoughts on ““Hopefully they’ll soon be charged a traffic tax”: Lanzarote locals angered by cyclotourists after video shows cyclist drafting behind hire car”
Drafting that close to a
Drafting that close to a vehicle is dangerous, but not primarily because they may brake unexpectedly. The real danger is that a giant pothole, or log, or dead animal, or car part that was no problem at all for the driver to miss with all four wheels may suddenly appear under the rear bumper, giving the cyclist essentially zero time to react.
Yep, that’s how I broke my
Yep, that’s how I broke my wrist on a motorcycle, I was following a panel van too close in the rain and when a big pothole appeared I didn’t even see it, it was only looking at the road afterwards that showed me what had happened. 100% my fault (well, let’s say 95% and 5% on the council for having bloody great holes in the road). However, as suggested above, it does look as if the rider and the driver are working together so hopefully the driver is being extra careful to scan the road and to slow down in good time if there is a hazard.
If it’s a hire car isn’t
If it’s a hire car isn’t there a good chance that the car is ‘towing’ the rider?
Doesn’t make it right though.
kinderje wrote:
It’s blatantly obvious that the cyclist and the driver are known to each other and working together, you can see that from the way the driver moves over to the right hand side of the road to let the following car past. As you say, still not recommended on a public road but a world away from a cyclist just jumping on a random car for a tow.
That’s exactly what’s
That’s exactly what’s happening, and why the locals are upset. It’s hard enough to pass cyclists safely on those roads (given the wind conditions and volcanic rockery at the side of the road, nobody rides by the white line) without the hire car blocking the view.
I know this is road.cc and any attitude other than “the roads are for everyone to use however they like whenever they like and anyone driving a nasty polluting vehicle should carry a constant burden of guilt and sit behind angelic cyclists for hours if they need to etc” is likely to meet with vitriol … and I know that even if you’re behind a cyclist for a couple of km you’re still going to be in the same place in the same queue at the next roundabout / traffic lights as if they were never there once you do get past … but … at some level you have to sympathise with the locals who use those roads to go about their daily business and find themselves having to tip-toe around tourists (on the roads or otherwise) who act like they own the place.
Trolls are like these nasty
Trolls are like these nasty tourists in many respects
Clem Fandango wrote:
Ah – I was reminded of the Nasty Tourists by Chris Packham’s new R4 show on punk. At their first gig at the Lanzarote (in New Cross) they had a chain gang on stage, then vomited over the mosh pit. Stirred things up a bit I can tell you!
I was riding out in the New
I was riding out in the New Forest last night and after a 200m stretch of straight road with no oncoming traffic turned into a side road to see a trail of about 20 cars queuing behind me. No idea why they didn’t overtake, but I bet at least some of them were sitting there cursing me.
bensynnock wrote:
All it takes is for the first driver to be too nervous to pass the cyclist, then for the second driver to be too nervous to pass the first driver and the cyclist. The rest of the drivers are held up by the first one or two, because it’s pretty chancy to pass from the back.
I do have sympathy but I find
I do have sympathy but I find it slightly ironic that people who rely almost totally on tourism for their income are so intent on whinging about tourists (all tourists not just cyclists). Well, in my case it has worked. Despite the fact that I have never cycled in the Canaries or southern Spain, I have wiped it off of my list of holiday destinations as I want to enjoy places I visit and not have to tiptoe around hiding from the locals. I will happily spend my tourist dollars elsewhere.
Visited Lanzarote in Nov and
Visited Lanzarote in Nov and rode out from Club La Santa x 2. For the most part the drivers encountered were highly respectful of the group that was running as a 2 abreast pace line (well out of my comfort zone). Ive been to Alcudia and the level of cyclotourism on Lanzarote is nothing in comparison. GDP in Lanzarote is almost entirely based on tourism with most of the population engaged in some way. Residents are the wealthiest across the Canaries. Club La Santa led the way in Activity Tourism in the ’70s. I wonder what the locals feel about Playa Carmel and the stream of coaches that block the roads between there and the airport? Perhaps Jose could make some money blogging about fat, wealthy, drunk tourists instead of picking on athletes on bicycles.
I’ve been riding there 15
I’ve been riding there 15-plus years and cycling has got way more popular in that time, encouraged by the island’s authorities with their “preferencia bici” roads. But it’s way behind Mallorca but is a small island with a small but generally well kept road network.
Spaniards are fed up with
Spaniards are fed up with foreign cyclists who think they own the roads and large groups of riders who feel entitled to disregard traffic regulations. As a consequence, thumb pins start to grow on Spanish asphalt.
I can only really speak for
I can only really speak for Mallorca because that’s where we spend a lot of time, but yes, “fed up” is fair. I’m not aware it’s progressed to actual sabotage though – I thought that only happened in Scotland?
Living on the Costa Blanca,
Living on the Costa Blanca, we have messages painted on the road, telling cyclist to go home, tacks on the roads are common on the more heavily used roads. I have been victim of a wire across a track when I used to mountain biking, as with everything it’s a small minority, who seem to want to do harm.
Since taking to the road I’ve found that, drivers seem to be very respectful of cyclist, and give you plenty of time and space, which make the roads a pleasure to ride.
Quote:
Given that 80% of the GDP of Lanzarote is from tourism the livelihoods of most locals would be pretty severely depleted if the tourists weren’t there, wouldn’t they?
It isn’t an unusual practice
The pictures do seem to show that the cyclist is dangerously close to the pacing van.
It is more usual to use a motorcycle for pacing/slipstreaming, because it gives better forward visibility and warning of potholes etc.
Don’t wish to be rude but
Don’t wish to be rude but that rider definitely doesn’t look like a pro to me – and wouldn’t a pro be training at a considerably higher speed? The fact that’s it’s a hired vehicle makes it more likely to be an amateur with friend/partner driving, maybe on their way to a climb and saving energy by drafting there as a gentle warmup?
It could be a warm up before
It could be a warm up before a session (paced tempo ride or hills), or a recovery between intervals.
It isn’t a set up I would like to try though
I’ve ridden that road many
I’ve ridden that road many times. Usually you’re going into a howling headwind all the way up the coast to Orzola. It’s definitely character building. I usually head up into the mountains for a tiny bit of shelter then head for home going in the opposite direction where you get a very very strong push. Can’t remember seeing any potholes.
Never had anything like a problem with drivers out there, roads are generally pretty empty and the main highways has a dedicated bike route running next to a lot of it. I certainly wouldn’t be put off going there to ride. Couldn’t say that about Majorca, found that way too busy personally.
I have ridden it hundreds of
I have ridden it hundreds of times too – last time two weeks ago. Mostly into a raging headwind wondering why it’s taking me so long to get to Orzola. Road CC describing it as a major road makes it sound a whole lot busier than it is in that section after Arrieta.
Although – allowing for bad
Although – allowing for bad camera angles, I’d say that if the camera-car driver is concerned about the safety issues of drating that close and any consequent spill, their own following distance doesn’t seem to allow for the increased risk if it manifests.
There are zero potholes on
There are zero potholes on that road!
Mr Blackbird wrote:
There is no evidence apart from some loons on SoMe that it *is* a pacing van.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Just a random van driving at about 15 mph on a clear straight road, hugging the very edge of the white line, that the cyclist happens to have latched on to? The driver looks clearly to be working with the cyclist from what I can see in the video; if they aren’t then accusing the cyclist of being suicidal is somewhat justified, no way would I draft a car that close unless I knew the driver was looking out for me.
NFN (Normal for Nazaret)
NFN (Normal for Nazaret)
Hope the Moroccan, Tunisian,
Hope the Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian; Tourist Boards are monitoring this genre. While cycling in Morocco and Algeria is more of a challenge at least it does not eat into the 90 day Schengen allowance.
There’s a long history of
There’s a long history of cyclists drafting anything from buses to horseboxes to cars and vans. And long may it continue. I often draft the open step tourist buses into Eastbourne and chat with the passengers. Never had an issue in 40 years. You don’t need to have your nose on the tailgate to get a good tow and if you position one side or the other you have a view up the road and can simply steer round if there is a sudden stop. Obviously the fun police won’t agree with any of this but they don’t need to. I went to Lanzarote with my bike for the first time last December and thought it was a barren shithole. The only reason to go there over Italy or Spain is the winter climate. Obviously if you’re a Trihard there’s Club La Santa but other than that I see no attraction. You get haters in the local paper everywhere, even Southern Spain where I have trained every year for over a decade without any issue whatsoever.