not a cyclist

Whilst discussing life, politics and the meaning of existence a co-worker
who knows me well enough described me as an anarchist [I'm not - it was
merely a bit of good humoured banter and devil's advocacy] because, as is my
habit of perusing widely differing types of currents affairs mags from
radical left to radical right to the mushy middle, I was reading an
anarchist magazine. My reply was that I didn't consider myself anything that
ended in -ist with the possible exception of cyclist.

He laughed at the idea that I would consider myself a cyclist. You see I
don't compete. I don't 'race' either off-road or on. I don't participate in
organized events. I commute year-round and get about town by bike. In season
I go on 20 km, 50 km, even 70 km rides regularly and have clocked a couple
in the 100-200 km range. But according to him I am not a 'cyclist' because I
do this alone, untimed, and not in organized events.

By his definition; using a bike for basic transportation and for recreation
doesn't make one a cyclist. He is pretty much a jock type: recreational
hockey, golf, softball, and football & rugby in his younger days. [He
_might_ get on a bike twice in a summer and would not even consider using a
bike for a 7 km commute to work and instead drives an SUV.] In his mind a
_real_ cyclist is pretty much in the Lance Armstrong mould I guess. Or it
should at least be as part of an organized event like his 'sports'.

Dunno why I'm relating this episode. It just struck be as a curious way to
look at cycling.and those who shall or shall not be deemed 'cyclists'.

Comments?

--
'Just because you're wearing a tie
Doesn't mean you're bloody important'
-chumbawumba

In article . rogers.com,
"loki" writes:

Comments?

How intertwined is your lifestyle with cycling? The routes &
destinations you choose, your hairstyle, your clothing &
accoutrements, etc?

Anyhow, "rider" fills the bill as good as "cyclist".
Maybe "[bi]cycler" would do the trick, too.

Words and labels are just food for thought. And as Walt
Kelly's Pogo once said: "food for thought is no substitute
for the real thing."


cheers,
Tom

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Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Hi Loki

Your co-worker seems to have a very narrow-minded view of what a
cyclist is. The fact that you ride solo and not competitively or in a
peloton doesn't make you any less of a cyclist than those who do.

Competition doesn't make a cyclist; cycling makes a cyclist... And
from your description, you seem to have already achieved many of the
milestones that dedicated cyclists strive for: a metric century (100
km), an imperial century (100 miles or 161 km), and a double-metric
(200 km).

If your co-worker laughs at you when you call youself a cyclist, tell
him to put his golf clubs down and get him on a bike. You can ask him
to comment again after you smoke him on the first uphill you
encounter.

Just because you're not a competitive cyclist doesn't make you any
less of a cyclist. In fact, you seem to be more of a cyclist than many
posers with $5,000 bikes and all the lyrca you can shake a stick at
who simply keep their bikes at home like a museum piece.

Forget the labels, just ride.

Yeti

"loki" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...

Whilst discussing life, politics and the meaning of existence a co-worker
who knows me well enough described me as an anarchist [I'm not - it was
merely a bit of good humoured banter and devil's advocacy] because, as is
my
habit of perusing widely differing types of currents affairs mags from
radical left to radical right to the mushy middle, I was reading an
anarchist magazine. My reply was that I didn't consider myself anything
that
ended in -ist with the possible exception of cyclist.

He laughed at the idea that I would consider myself a cyclist. You see I
don't compete. I don't 'race' either off-road or on. I don't participate
in
organized events. I commute year-round and get about town by bike. In
season
I go on 20 km, 50 km, even 70 km rides regularly and have clocked a couple
in the 100-200 km range. But according to him I am not a 'cyclist' because
I
do this alone, untimed, and not in organized events.

By his definition; using a bike for basic transportation and for
recreation
doesn't make one a cyclist. He is pretty much a jock type: recreational
hockey, golf, softball, and football & rugby in his younger days. [He
_might_ get on a bike twice in a summer and would not even consider using
a
bike for a 7 km commute to work and instead drives an SUV.] In his mind a
_real_ cyclist is pretty much in the Lance Armstrong mould I guess. Or it
should at least be as part of an organized event like his 'sports'.

Dunno why I'm relating this episode. It just struck be as a curious way
to
look at cycling.and those who shall or shall not be deemed 'cyclists'.

Comments?

--
'Just because you're wearing a tie
Doesn't mean you're bloody important'
-chumbawumba


Your friend is wrong...you are a cyclist. Per dictionary.com
(http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=67&q=cyclist), "One who rides or
races a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar vehicle.".

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 09:26:24 +0000, loki wrote:

By his definition; using a bike for basic transportation and for recreation
doesn't make one a cyclist.

That's his problem, not yours. Ignore it.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but
_`\(,_ | what canst thou say? -- George Fox.
(_)/ (_) |

Loki wrote:

Whilst discussing life, politics and the meaning of existence a co-worker
who knows me well enough described me as an anarchist [I'm not - it was
merely a bit of good humoured banter and devil's advocacy] because, as is my
habit of perusing widely differing types of currents affairs mags from
radical left to radical right to the mushy middle, I was reading an
anarchist magazine. My reply was that I didn't consider myself anything that
ended in -ist with the possible exception of cyclist.

He laughed at the idea that I would consider myself a cyclist. You see I
don't compete. I don't 'race' either off-road or on. I don't participate in
organized events. I commute year-round and get about town by bike. In season
I go on 20 km, 50 km, even 70 km rides regularly and have clocked a couple
in the 100-200 km range. But according to him I am not a 'cyclist' because I
do this alone, untimed, and not in organized events.

By his definition; using a bike for basic transportation and for recreation
doesn't make one a cyclist. He is pretty much a jock type: recreational
hockey, golf, softball, and football & rugby in his younger days. [He
_might_ get on a bike twice in a summer and would not even consider using a
bike for a 7 km commute to work and instead drives an SUV.] In his mind a
_real_ cyclist is pretty much in the Lance Armstrong mould I guess. Or it
should at least be as part of an organized event like his 'sports'.

Dunno why I'm relating this episode. It just struck be as a curious way to
look at cycling.and those who shall or shall not be deemed 'cyclists'.

Comments?


1. He's full of crap.

2. If he can self-define who is and isn't an athlete, so can you.

3. By his definition, when he gets into that SUV for a short (or even long)
haul, he's not really a "driver" because he's not in a timed race over a closed
course or track.

4. Ignore him.

5. Find new friends with less-closed minds.



Bill, riding bent in Florida
(hence the screen name)
To e-mail, remove undies

By his definition; using a bike for basic transportation and for recreation
doesn't make one a cyclist. He is pretty much a jock type: recreational
hockey, golf, softball, and football

& rugby in his younger days.

Well, this seems to be a definition thing. Who knows exactly what he is
thinking of?

He could have a certain bit a justified thinking in trying to limit the term
"cyclist" to people who are more than "casual". From your account he seems to
think that taking part in organized events is a sort of affirmation.

He probably does not realize that cycling ranges from very structured events
like races to less structured events like sanctioned centuries to completely
independent activities like self contained touring.

Personally, I am more impressed by the lady who hops on her touring bike loaded
with 50 lbs of gear and proceeds to ride across the North American Continent
all alone on her bike and with no support than the hot shot who does a sub 5
hour century in a pace line. Then there are the commuters who ride through
rain and fog and snow and gloom of night all on roads thronged with crazed
drivers and they do this unscathed.

I think the variety of impressive things that cyclists do makes cyclists a bit
more flexible about whom they accord the honorific "cyclist" to than in some
other sports.

"loki" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
Dunno why I'm relating this episode. It just struck be as a curious way
to
look at cycling.and those who shall or shall not be deemed 'cyclists'.

Comments?

So, does this guy drive to work? Does he not consider himself to be a
"driver"?

RichC

"Tom Keats" wrote in message
...
In article . rogers.com,
"loki" writes:

Comments?

How intertwined is your lifestyle with cycling?

It is my basic form of transportation in that I don't even own an auto.
I've bicycle-commuted to work every day that I work for over a year [Since
11 Nov 2002 to be precise] And this includes through the snow and ice of
Canadian winter.


The routes & destinations you choose,

For fun in season: Up north to the lake; East along the river trails; The
southern loop. I'd say that in season it is my primary form of recreation.

your hairstyle, your clothing &
accoutrements, etc?

Not at all.

--
'Just because you're wearing a tie
Doesn't mean you're bloody important'
-chumbawumba

"Cwazee Yeti" wrote in message
om...
Hi Loki

Your co-worker seems to have a very narrow-minded view of what a
cyclist is. The fact that you ride solo and not competitively or in a
peloton doesn't make you any less of a cyclist than those who do.

It wasn't just tcompetition - though that did seem to one of his points -
it was also the unbstructured nature of my cycling. It would be somewhat
analgous to saying the only proper baseball is what MLB says is and
sanctions as apropriate. IOW someone who plays a sandlot game is a _Real_
baseball player.

I'm not worried about his acceptance. I've grown beyond seeking the
approval of others for such things. I just found it an interesting standard
for him to have. And it wasn't like he was doing it to diss me. He had a
mental definition of what it meant to be a 'cyclist' that I found curious.


--
'Just because you're wearing a tie
Doesn't mean you're bloody important'
-chumbawumba