Australia's leading race car driver says he is reconsidering road cycling as a training method because of the dangers cyclists face on the road, and has called on drivers to have respect for those on two wheels.

Red Bull Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo is based in Monaco and like many of his peers has often used cycling as a means of maintaining his fitness levels. But the recent death of former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden in a cycling accident in Italy, along with other high-profile road cycling deaths in recent years, is prompting a rethink.

Daniel Ricciardo says he will reconsider road cycling. Credit:Getty Images

"It's a tough one," Ricciardo told Fairfax Media before his third in the Monaco Grand Prix. "I'm devastated with the news [about Nicky Hayden] it was super, super sad how it all happened. I never knew him, met him personally, but I followed his career for a long time.

"It obviously makes me frustrated. I do do some road cycling but whether I will keep doing it I honestly don't know.