Greeting other road bikers in Spain

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

hindubiceps

New Member
Hello,
Does road bikers in Spain greet/wave to each other? Or how do they greet each other?
 
Last edited:

Chislenko

Veteran
Ola should do it!
 

Chislenko

Veteran
[Pedant]Ola is a wave, as in the sea. Hola (the h is mute) is a wave as in hello[/Pedant]

As to the actual subject of the thread, I imagine much the same as in here, but using the local language.
Thanks CR, I speak Portuguese where we say Ola, my Spanish is not do good! Although very similar languages when spoken totally different. But as you say whatever fits in the locality.
 

C R

Guru
Location
Worcester
Thanks CR, I speak Portuguese where we say Ola, my Spanish is not do good! Although very similar languages when spoken totally different. But as you say whatever fits in the locality.
The Ola/Hola thing in Spanish is just a trap to cause trouble for children at school :laugh:, there's loads of that mute h thing in Spanish. My first language is Galician, so I am actually more comfortable with Portuguese than Spanish.

I'll ask my cycling friends back in the Terra what it is they do and report back.
 

Chislenko

Veteran
The Ola/Hola thing in Spanish is just a trap to cause trouble for children at school :laugh:, there's loads of that mute h thing in Spanish. My first language is Galician, so I am actually more comfortable with Portuguese than Spanish.

I'll ask my cycling friends back in the Terra what it is they do and report back.

Do you live in Galicia then CR or are you over in UK now? My first language is Welsh so find it a bit easier to adapt to other languages. For the native English speaker they have not really had to deal with male / female words so I think that can be quite a shock to them.

Basque looks like a language that would take some learning!!
 

mudsticks

Obviously an Aubergine
I just call out 'Hola most of the time .

Seems to be generally reciprocated, if not in fact more often initiated by the othe party
.
When I was cycling on the North coast many would also wish me "Buen Camino" because that's what they assumed I was doing..

I've found cyclists, and drivers, and just people in general more open, friendly, and spontaneously hospitable in Spain, than the UK.

Not that the majority in UK are hostile (you tend to get back what you give out)

It's just in Spain, the cyclist seems to be welcomed, and even celebrated - especially when going up hills fully loaded :smile:

Lots of encouragement - rather than seeming to be annoyed by the temporary inconvenience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: C R
What's wrong with a nod of the head or a little lift of the fingers ?

I'm not sure I've ever said Hello to an oncoming cyclist in the UK.
 

mudsticks

Obviously an Aubergine
What's wrong with a nod of the head or a little lift of the fingers ?

I'm not sure I've ever said Hello to an oncoming cyclist in the UK.
Nothing wrong with it at all, I do that too.

It's just the Spanish seem a tad more friendly that that (on the whole)

If you choose to join in, that's fine, if not, it's unlikely you're going to get taken away and shot,.
 

C R

Guru
Location
Worcester
Do you live in Galicia then CR or are you over in UK now? My first language is Welsh so find it a bit easier to adapt to other languages. For the native English speaker they have not really had to deal with male / female words so I think that can be quite a shock to them.

Basque looks like a language that would take some learning!!
I live in Worcester, of all places, so not that far from Wales, and the landscape going into Herefordshire is very much like in Galicia.

Basque is a completely different kettle of fish, as it isn't an Indo-European language. Galician, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalonian, Italian, and to some extent French are very close to mutually intelligible, at least in writing once you get past the minor orthographical quirks.
 
Top Bottom