Extreme rear wheel sliders: Keeping up with the best professional cyclists in the world

Artem describes himself as a "professional amateur cyclist" - you could also call him a professional rear wheel rider - in both senses of the word. He has made a name for himself on social media by accompanying professional cyclists on rides and riding along with their training sessions. His videos show him attempting to ride Remco Evenepoel's 400-watt interval training, training with Jonas Vingegaard, on the long climb with Tadej Pogačar or the 160-kilometre ride with Team Total Energies. He films his training rides with an action cam and shares them online. 25,500 followers on Instagram and 11,500 subscribers on YouTube show that his videos are popular. He tells TOUR how it all began.

TOUR: Rear wheel sliders at the highest level - how did it come about that you train with the pros?

ArtemIt was three years ago when Julian Alaphilippe happened to ride past me during training in Spain. I only had my mobile phone with me, so I took it out and filmed it. I posted it on Instagram and it went viral. The next video was with Remco Evenepoel and the video went viral on Instagram again. I thought to myself, OK, if people like this video, maybe I should buy a GoPro camera and make some more interesting videos the next year. So the next year I came to Calpe with the GoPro and followed the riders.

TOUR: It looks like you live in Spain?

ArtemI come from Ukraine. When Russia's war against my home country began, I was at a training camp in Alanya, Turkey. I stayed there for six months and then moved to France. I live in Grenoble and in winter I come to Spain, to Calpe, to the professional teams. I'm a web developer and work online.

TOUR: Have you taken part in any races in Ukraine?

ArtemYes, I have taken part in a few amateur races, for example in Grand Fondos. In the Ukraine, in Turkey, in France and in Spain. But racing is not the main part of my training, it's just for fun.

TOUR: How polite are you as a rear wheel rider? How do you find the pros? Are you waiting for them somewhere?

Artem: In December and January, almost every team from the WorldTour is here in this area in Calpe. So if you just ride on the main roads, you will definitely meet a lot of people. At that time it's really easy if you know them. You try to catch up with them and get to the back of the group. With some teams it's okay if you just hang on at the back and don't try to overtake them or ride alongside them. A lot of amateur riders who have seen the teams try to get their mobile phones out and take a photo with the guys and sometimes that's dangerous. So it's better to just stay at the back and if you have an opportunity, say hello or ask if I can join them. For example, what's on the agenda today? And they can say we're doing five hours and that's no problem if you follow us. Sometimes they tell me that they're doing intervals and that they don't want me to join them.

Drinking coffee with Evenepoel

TOUR: One video that became very well known was the video with Remco Evenepoel. He was very surprised that he was followed by a rear-wheel lollipop man and wanted you to disappear.

ArtemYes, I understand that. I can tell you the story: I met the team as they were leaving the hotel and I was riding at the back. Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenepoel were always at the back of the group. When Remco went to the support car, I went to Alaphilippe, said hello and we had a little chat. No problems, then Remco comes back and doesn't even say hello to me. So I think it was just a bad day for him or he wasn't in the mood.

TOUR: But there is a new video and he was in a completely different mood?

Artem: Yes. I met him in February at training with a few others. I asked the guys what they were up to and they told me that Remco just wanted to do a few intervals. I asked him and he was already laughing because he knows me by now. He's seen my videos and knows what I do. He said no problem, come with me. We had a nice chat and after about 100 kilometres, he suggested I go to the café and join them. So we sat down in the café, drank coffee and ate cake and then drove back to Calpe.

TOUR: Do the professional cyclists now recognise you as the rear wheel slider with an action cam?

ArtemSometimes the boys recognise me. Some have already seen videos on Instagram or YouTube. They know there's a guy filming, but they don't know exactly what I look like.

TOUR: What is your motivation for doing this?

Artem: At the moment it's just for fun. I like cycling and I cycle a lot. If you have a good group with strong people, you get better yourself. It's always better to have a stronger partner than a weaker one. If I want to take part in big events, I have to train a lot. I need motivation for that and my motivation at the moment is to ride with a strong guy and try to follow him. When I ride for five hours in Zone 2 like I did recently with Pogačar (editor's note: Basic endurance), then that's wonderful. The support vehicle even provided me with water, food and other things.

TOUR: Are there certain riders or teams that you have met several times and that you think are particularly likeable?

ArtemThe friendliest teams, if you want to ride with them, here in Calpe are Groupama-FDJ, TotalEnergies and DSM.

TOUR: Are you still relying on meeting the teams and riders by chance? Rear wheel sliders with an announcement?

ArtemSometimes, when I really want to film something, I go to the hotel with the teams. That was the case with Jumbo-Visma, for example. I came to the hotel a few times and they asked me to come tomorrow. So I came the next day at 9.00 am and waited for the team. I was able to drive with them for an hour and film.

Extreme rear wheel sliders: keeping up with the best professional cyclists in the world

TOUR: Are you able to keep up in terms of fitness?

ArtemA good amateur can follow the rides without any problems. For the professional teams, this is just the beginning of the season - so they are not yet in top form. And they don't ride with so much pressure yet. If Remco Evenepoel did a proper interval for ten minutes, I'd be out after three minutes. Because his performance over five minutes is like my performance for one minute or his performance for one hour is like my performance for ten minutes. So there's a big difference when we talk about maximum effort when they're doing intervals here. It's always hard, but sometimes you can go all the way to the end. With the guys like Evenepoel or Pogačar, that's only possible for a few minutes.

TOUR: Performance test as a rear wheel rider: how did you feel after the ride with Pogačar in terms of basic endurance?

Artem: I've been recovering for a few days. December and January are the hardest months for me.

TOUR: And what do you talk about on the rides with the professional cyclists? What do they want to know from you?

Artem: Quite normal topics. Where are you from, what do you do? What is your background, do you race? Did you ride in a team? Sometimes they say it was a tough day.

TOUR: Are you planning to do a lot of races?

ArtemI don't know. It all adds up quickly: travelling, accommodation and the registration fee. Some races offer me a starting place in exchange for some publicity on Instagram or YouTube. It's really fun, but it's too expensive. I don't have to do it just for the medal or to prove something to someone.

Earn money with YouTube?

TOUR: Do you earn money with your videos?

Artem: On YouTube, I have some income from YouTube advertising, but it's not that big. At the moment it's about 100 euros per month. If you count the time spent editing the videos and other things, it's not much. There are some brands that send me stuff: jerseys or an electric pump - that's a little bonus.

TOUR: Do you have any bike races that you want to ride or other dreams?

ArtemJust have fun and wait until the war in Ukraine is over.

TOUR: What does that mean for you? When the war is over, will you move back to Ukraine?

ArtemI'm not sure, but I definitely want to see my parents. They are in Ukraine at the moment. I haven't seen my father for more than two years and all my friends are also in Ukraine. It's complicated when you live abroad with just a few things and your bike case. Some people think it's the ideal life. You can ride with the pros every day, but they don't know the whole background. I'm a freelancer and always have to get new jobs. My father is in the army and of course I'm scared for him. I think about it every day and worry about him. My mum lives in Kiev and there are always rockets there. The people who live there fight every day, but life goes on. We can't imagine how they live there. It's a complicated story. Many of my friends who are cyclists try to live their lives and ride their bikes. But any day they can be drafted into the army. So they can't say no.

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