Comments on: Down with “avid cyclists”

By: William

William — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:49:15 +0000

Sorry about that, my finger lied, it was only 15,000 km…. I am awake now. If a photograph is worth a thousand words, Is a photograph of an open book worth more…

By: William T Morewood

William T Morewood — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:44:22 +0000

Avid cyclist, Hmmm.. I think I might fall into that category. crazy, half spun, 25,000 km average per year on the bike, soon to be on something different, and faster. Yes, it still has pedals to lock into… I really don`t care what is said.. I share the road, use the bikes as much as possible, drive a car, ride the Ducati, live, and just have a great time. “If you live your life inside the boundaries of fixed human beliefs, you only limit you ability to become more.. Remember, its all about one thing“. Figure this out and I`ll see you at the shop. I await your replies………….

By: Jym

Jym — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:44:57 +0000

=v= I must confess I have a very different take on the phrase. Usually I only see it used as self-description in a certain variety of letters to the editor. “I’m an avid cyclist and I disapprove of all these [Pick One] a) scofflaws who run red lights b) hipsters on fixie bikes c) Critical Mass riders. I’m so much better than them, you see.”

By: Barb Chamberlain

Barb Chamberlain — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:27:24 +0000

For another look at this, here’s the April 1 post on cyclelicio.us: http://www.cyclelicio.us/2010/down-with-car-enthusiast/

@BarbChamberlain

By: Dean

Dean — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:41:06 +0000

I have to agree 100% with “Electric” . I have been an “avid” or “keen” cyclist for most of my life, and I consider that a good thing. I think the blog poster is getting carried away with worrying about semantics. I am not just a “willing cyclist” (it is one of my favourite recreational past-times), but you wouldn’t know to see me, since I don’t wear the uniform.
I would argue that most people killed on bicycles are not avid cyclists. They are more likely to be the less careful and less knowledgeable “casual cyclists”. Can anyone provide statistics instead of making assumptions?
Yes,it is more difficult to ride a bicycle in North America than in most of the world, and something has to happen to end the dominance of the automobile as our first choice of transportation. Demonizing the “avid cyclist” is not the right way to do that!
What we need is for everyone to be “the kind of people who cycle”. In my small home town we have eighty year old men and women cycling on old three-speeds with baskets…in their regular clothes,in any weather -and they would probably laugh at us for trying to label them.
Just get out and ride and you will be doing your part to change perceptions.

By: Michael D

Michael D — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:00:38 +0000

Those are indeed cycling related deaths I’m referring to.

As for true “avid cyclists”, I agree that there’s a lot of good to be said for them (you). I don’t wish to demonize legitimate cycling enthusiasts. My point is that people who cycle are not “avid” by default, and should not be assumed to be such; this assumption is the target of my post. The reason to try to change the perception of cycling away from something done only by the devoted is that it makes it seem much more accessible as a mode of transportation to the regular person. And that is important for large-scale shifts in modal choice, particularly away from the car.

By: electric

electric — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:59:17 +0000

As a person branded an “avid cyclist” I find the author’s conclusions bizarre. First off, I won’t be writing my own obituary. The amount of control I have over other people deciding to label me an avid cyclist after my death(was that a cycling related death?)is zero.

I won’t go on much more, but there are a number of flaws in this new trend of thinking which the author is promoting. Firstly “avid cyclists” were all that existed to keep the cycling torch alight on so many car exclusive roadways for so many years. It seems those cyclists are being demonized simply because we are the only thing there to rail against. How is it that the author would want to use cyclists like me as a scapegoat for the reason why there aren’t more people on a bicycle am I the “them”? Just because “avid cyclists” are at the crime scene doesn’t mean we’re the perpetrators.

There is a lot be be praised about “avid cyclists” and cycling advocacy groups. For many years real avid cyclists fought for cyclist’s road rights. It is only until recently that trendy and ingenious people picked up thread as if they were the first Europeans to discover North America. Can I look forward to timelessly ignorant chic people not understanding the past and scoffing at a helmet and hi-viz badge of shame? Seems so, maybe it is worth it if more people get out there and ride, but we should remember that without history there is no future.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:16:55 +0000

Great post. While you’re at it, you can ban the UK varient: “keen cyclist”!!

By: Michael D

Michael D — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:06:07 +0000

Social factors are just as real as other ones, and worth discussing. And this being a meme is news to me.

By: scotto

scotto — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:16:53 +0000

I’ve heard this meme before but I don’t believe it.

Time constraints, inconvenience, discomfort and safety fears are what keep people from biking. If calling cyclist “avid” has any effect on behavior, it is tiny compared to the other factors.

I think we need to concentrate on actual solutions, not marginal effects.