El ciclista espera en la ciclovía.

These are the Spanish definite articles, equivalent to the in English.

• el goes with masculine singular nouns
• la goes with feminine singular nouns

So here:

• el ciclista
• la ciclovía

Spanish usually requires articles more often than English does, and the article has to match the noun’s gender and number.

Ciclista is a common-gender noun. That means the noun itself stays the same, and the article tells you whether the person is male or female:

• el ciclista = male cyclist
• la ciclista = female cyclist

This is very common with nouns ending in -ista, such as:

• el/la artista
• el/la turista
• el/la dentista

So ciclista does not change to ciclisto.

Espera is the third-person singular present indicative form of esperar.

So it matches subjects like:

• él
• ella
• usted
• el ciclista

In this sentence, it agrees with el ciclista.

A quick mini-conjugation:

• yo espero
• tú esperas
• él/ella/usted espera
• nosotros esperamos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes esperan

It can mean either one, depending on context.

In Spanish, the simple present often covers both:

• a habitual action: waits
• an action happening now: is waiting

So espera can naturally be understood as either of these in English.

If you want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, Spanish can also use:

• está esperando

So both are possible:

• El ciclista espera en la ciclovía.
• El ciclista está esperando en la ciclovía.

The second one puts more focus on the ongoing action.

Because Spanish often leaves subject pronouns out when they are not needed. This is called being a pro-drop language.

The verb ending already tells you the subject is third-person singular, so él is unnecessary here.

• El ciclista espera = natural
• Él espera = also possible, but now él adds emphasis or contrast
• El ciclista él espera = generally not how you would say it

Since the noun el ciclista is already present, adding él would usually be redundant.

En is the normal preposition for location in Spanish. Depending on context, it can correspond to English in, on, or at.

So en la ciclovía expresses where the cyclist is waiting.

Spanish prepositions do not always match English one-for-one. Even if English might say on the bike lane or in the bike lane, Spanish naturally uses en here.

In Latin American Spanish, ciclovía commonly refers to a space designated for bicycles, such as a:

• bike lane
• bike path
• cycleway

The exact meaning can vary a little by country and by context. In some places it can mean a marked lane on a road; in others it may refer to a separate cycling path.

This is a good example of vocabulary that can differ across the Spanish-speaking world. In Spain, for example, learners often see carril bici instead.

Yes. Esperar can also mean to hope or to expect, depending on context.

For example:

• Espero que sí = I hope so
• Espero una respuesta = I expect / am waiting for a response

In this sentence, the location phrase en la ciclovía makes wait the natural meaning.

A very useful point for English speakers: Spanish usually does not use a separate word for for after wait.

• Espera el autobús = waits for the bus

If the object is a person, Spanish often uses the personal a:

• Espera a su amiga = waits for his/her friend

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: ci-clo-VÍ-a.

It also helps signal that í-a is pronounced in separate syllables, not merged into one.

So the word is typically pronounced with four syllables:

• ci
• clo
• ví
• a

Without the accent mark, Spanish spelling rules would suggest a different stress pattern.

The given order is the most neutral and natural one:

• subject + verb + location

That said, Spanish word order is more flexible than English word order. You may also see changes for emphasis or style, such as:

• En la ciclovía espera el ciclista.

This is grammatically possible, but it sounds more marked or literary. For everyday neutral Spanish, the original sentence is the best model.