Code of Conduct

[Will1985]

I'm one of those lycra clad speed merchants and almost always make the effort to say hello or raise a hand in acknowledgement.
I find that solo roadies are far more likely to return a greeting than a chaingang who will sometimes look at you with disdain unless they personally know you.

Sometimes I feel sorry for those puffing up a hill when I breeze past with a cheery hello.
Wearing CC kit almost obliges a salutation - you can't have the word friendly on the jersey and then blank fellow cyclists!

 

[Bigtwin]

With respect, I totally disagree. What hope is there to encourage newcomers to our glorious sport if the established members can't be bothered to extend a common courtesy?

Do you wave to everyone with the same car as you? Smile at everyone else wearing denim? Say "good Lord - I see you are wearing shoes too!"?

To me road riding is an individual activity. Pushing, watching the 'pooter and trying to be faster, more efficient, better than last time, riding smarter, working out how far up/down you can nudge the next stretch and still be ahead of the clock. Watching the road for potholes and other shite that will have you over the bars. Just not got time and mental resources to man the social radar. And I don't take the slightest offence if someone is zoned out on their ride and don't glad face me.

Anyway, if the future of cycling turns on me smiling like a Cheshire Cat at novices, we are in deep trouble.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Do you wave to everyone with the same car as you? Smile at everyone else wearing denim? Say "good Lord - I see you are wearing shoes too!"?

To me road riding is an individual activity. Pushing, watching the 'pooter and trying to be faster, more efficient, better than last time, riding smarter, working out how far up/down you can nudge the next stretch and still be ahead of the clock. Watching the road for potholes and other shite that will have you over the bars. Just not got time and mental resources to man the social radar. And I don't take the slightest offence if someone is zoned out on their ride and don't glad face me.

Anyway, if the future of cycling turns on me smiling like a Cheshire Cat at novices, we are in deep trouble.

No......I'd like to think cycling is above all that malarky.

 

[Bigtwin]

No......I'd like to think cycling is above all that malarky.

Aaaaaah. I see.

 

[HJ]

When out cycling I normally say hello to people who are cycling, walking their dogs, pushing prams etc. Even thank you to dog walkers who restrain their pets while I go past. And I ring my bell if I am coming up behind someone. Mostly cycle on cycle paths and canalside. All common courtesy or is it? Most people say hello in return except those very fast blokes in lycra who go whizzing past! Is it not cool to acknowledge an obvious 'social' cyclist like myself or are they going so fast that they don't have breath for a hello? What do you do? Are you a hello-er or an ignorer?

Scots_lass

Some Roadies are just ignorant snobs who give cycling a bad name, most of them drive the same way...

 

[rich p]

I don't always say 'hello' on reflection. My normal technique is the raised finger (known as the Malhamdale wave after a Bill Bryson story), sometimes a cheery wave, sometimes a gritty nod of the head or sometimes the full Leslie Thomas, "Well hello, what a smashing looking girl"

 

[Gerry Attrick]

There nothing more true though that when you meet that great looking girlie cyclist, you always have an enourmous snot on your face.

 

[eldudino]

Sorry mate, didn't realise it was you...

Nah, commuter gear, not roadie gear

 

[Garz]

Can't stand people being sociable when I'm riding. It's about me, the bike and the road. If you have the energy to speak, you're not riding, you're just cycling. Pain, burn, push, sweat nothing else is relevant.

When I encounter people like this on my ride I just accept they are selfish and wouldn't be surprised next outing to see them stuck on the road with a puncture, the prize for being ignorant is a fanciful helping of zero.

Every now and again I meet someone opposite to this who is jovial and chats and before you know it you have zipped through six miles of your route and made a friend!

Too bad, maybe one day Bigtwin..

 

[HLaB]

If folk don't have the time to say hello, they are obviously not training hard enough.

 

[Bigtwin]

the prize for being ignorant is a fanciful helping of zero.

Classic ignorant cyclist. "You're not behaving I think you should, so sod you, I'm not going to help you".

Well done, you must be very proud.

 

[Renard]

When out cycling I normally say hello to people who are cycling, walking their dogs, pushing prams etc. Even thank you to dog walkers who restrain their pets while I go past. And I ring my bell if I am coming up behind someone. Mostly cycle on cycle paths and canalside. All common courtesy or is it? Most people say hello in return except those very fast blokes in lycra who go whizzing past! Is it not cool to acknowledge an obvious 'social' cyclist like myself or are they going so fast that they don't have breath for a hello? What do you do? Are you a hello-er or an ignorer?

Scots_lass

I'm just going to ignore that!

 

[ComedyPilot]

Huff, puff...........hello..............wheeze.

 

[jack the lad]

I thought bigtwin's first post on here was an ironic wind-up, but it seems not. There are many of them in cycling clubs and running clubs - people with every muscle toned to perfection - except the 43 or whatever that you need to smile, which don't work at all! My experience at the first cycling club I joined was of a majority of people who turned up at say a time trial, don't even say hello but immediately get into warm-up, race, warm down, check official times and go without speaking to anyone and do this week in week out. Not my kind of club.

What the cyclists code of conduct needs, therefore, is recognition for this kind of cyclist. Other cyclists respect their space and need for focus by not waving to them and potentially distracting them. Instead of us being 'offended' when they don't wave back, we'll just have to hope that they are not offended because we didn't wave first.

So if you dress in team replica lycra and want to be waved at - wave first or we'll assume you are 'in the zone' and benignly ignore you!

 

[Jane Smart]

There nothing more true though that when you meet that great looking girlie cyclist, you always have an enourmous snot on your face.

Oh I just spilt my coffee on my keyboard hahahahahaha