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I& #39;m so tired of people demonising a largely mythical "lycra warrior" cliché and blaming it for somehow being the cause of low cycling rates.
Most people riding a road bike are nice people just getting some exercise or getting somewhere.
These clichés help cycling& #39;s detractors.
Most people riding a road bike are nice people just getting some exercise or getting somewhere.
These clichés help cycling& #39;s detractors.
And you know what? That occasional overweight bloke in Sky kit going slowly in the wrong gear on a Pinarello? The type you see far less often than you pretend to?
He loves that thing. Wanted one for ages. Proud of it. Already losing some weight. Thrilled he saw a buzzard earlier.
He loves that thing. Wanted one for ages. Proud of it. Already losing some weight. Thrilled he saw a buzzard earlier.
"Yeah well Jon the problem isn& #39;t people like that, it& #39;s the groups of lycra-clad men treating the roads of Surrey as a racetrack who give cycling a bad name".
Mate, they& #39;re riding to a garden centre to buy coffee and a cake while Nigel faffs with his Ultegra again.
Mate, they& #39;re riding to a garden centre to buy coffee and a cake while Nigel faffs with his Ultegra again.
"But Jon, you have to wonder at these people spending four thousand pounds on a bike when they& #39;re not exactly Bradley Wiggins"
Mate, your Vauxhall Astra was twenty grand.
Mate, your Vauxhall Astra was twenty grand.
"Yeah but Jon, something something something traffic lights blah blah respect for motorists".
Are you still here? Look: the problem for cycling is not cyclists. The problem is fear. Endless surveys which pretty much unanimously show that people are too scared because of drivers
Are you still here? Look: the problem for cycling is not cyclists. The problem is fear. Endless surveys which pretty much unanimously show that people are too scared because of drivers
"What studies, Jon?"
These ones. https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/barriers-cycling">https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/barr...
These ones. https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/barriers-cycling">https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/barr...
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race", as HG Wells once possibly said.
*Every* time, people. Bikes are ace. Ride bikes. Celebrate bikes. Smile at people on bikes. Advocate for bikes. Talk cycling up. Share your joy.
*Every* time, people. Bikes are ace. Ride bikes. Celebrate bikes. Smile at people on bikes. Advocate for bikes. Talk cycling up. Share your joy.
THIS THIS THIS https://twitter.com/magnacarter/status/1180132295862358016">https://twitter.com/magnacart...
And THIS THIS THIS too https://twitter.com/magnacarter/status/1180132711136219136">https://twitter.com/magnacart...
Final thought: when you perpetuate and amplify this stereotype, you are giving real strength to people who fight against investment in cycling.
A big recent example was the anti-CS9 campaign in Chiswick. They focused heavily on the "lycra clad lout" meme. Please stop helping them
A big recent example was the anti-CS9 campaign in Chiswick. They focused heavily on the "lycra clad lout" meme. Please stop helping them
