You've probably seen them if you've been to a coffee shop early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Cyclists with smooth legs and lightning-fast bikes. Why are coffee and bikes such a good match?

Sometimes things are connected without being able to explain why. In the same way that a football fan nods approvingly when he sees a like-minded person, cyclists often meet over a cup of coffee. But don't think you can order anything to blend in. There are both written and unwritten rules to consider.

Kim Gerhardsen was seriously bitten by the cycling bug a few years ago. Now he spends most of his free time on his bike.

- We often start our bike ride at a coffee shop. Then we like to order an espresso. It's social and it gets the body going before we set off on the tour.

It's easy to be caught out if you're a "real" cyclist or not. For example, it is not in line with etiquette if you enter without taking off your helmet. It should either be hung on the front of the handlebars or placed neatly on the table. Cycling hats, on the other hand, are allowed; they must be of the right brand and match your cycling clothes.

Many of these rules are unwritten, but there is also a separate book with a set of rules that determines how innate you are. For example, it says that you should never order anything other than an espresso or macchiato while wearing cycling clothes.

However, you'll get kudos from your friends if you order a hand brew and ask the barista to adjust it to your liking.

Even though you often drink coffee before the trip, the coffee break is the centerpiece of the long trip. The route is often planned according to where you're going to stop. If you're new to cycling and think that stopping for coffee is synonymous with a quick stop at the nearest gas station, you're wrong.

- "When we stop, we try to find a place that serves good coffee and preferably cake. That's part of the charm of long-distance travel," says Kim.

It's not just exercisers who add a coffee stop to their long-distance runs. It's also a regular part of the routine among the pros. The pros' love of coffee stops is actually one of the reasons why "all" cyclists do it.

Coffee has been part of cycling culture for many decades. There are still rumors about the Italian Fausto Coppi stopping at a café during Milan-Sanremo, one of the longest and toughest cycling races on the calendar, in the year 1946.

Coppi stopped, ordered an espresso, paid and rode on before winning the race by 14 minutes.

It has probably also helped that many of the greatest cyclists of all time have been sponsored by different manufacturers.

Legendary Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France in 1968 for a team sponsored by an espresso machine manufacturer. Since then, many coffee brands and manufacturers have sponsored professional teams. Looking at the Instagram profiles of cycling's biggest stars, it's easy to see that coffee is still an important part of the culture.

This is how it will always be.

Kim puts on her helmet after a stop at Kaffebønna in Tromsø. Photo: Ron Olofsson