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I bet he brought it up probably because of a prevelant attitude that I have also seen on my own team and some of the more hard core of the cycling club riders where if you didn't make a ride because the weather was horrible, you're just weak or a slacker, and you will hear about it on the following Sunday recovery ride. That was very different than how you wanted it to be.
Yup. After pages and pages of us saying exactly why being out in the snow, rain, and excessive humidity is a bad idea, having people repeat the "well, *I* do it and don't mind it" stuff is simply insulting and condescending. It's friggin' constant from bicycle riders wanting to clear the roads of cars. And it's going to be met with just that sort of hostility IN RETURN.
If YOU want to bike, then go ahead. But the "well *I* don't mind (the weather/snow/rain)" line IS and always has been condescending, even if it's the first time *you* used it.
Yup. After pages and pages of us saying exactly why being out in the snow, rain, and excessive humidity is a bad idea, having people repeat the "well, *I* do it and don't mind it" stuff is simply insulting and condescending. It's friggin' constant from bicycle riders wanting to clear the roads of cars. And it's going to be met with just that sort of hostility IN RETURN.
If YOU want to bike, then go ahead. But the "well *I* don't mind (the weather/snow/rain)" line IS and always has been condescending, even if it's the first time *you* used it.
I don't know a single cyclist that would ever dream of "clearing the cars from the road". No, not one............
All any cyclist wants is to ride without fear of getting hit or killed by some stupid driver. All cyclist want is..........TO SHARE THE ROAD WITH CARS SAFELY.
The part you are not getting is that cities in Netherlands are same size as cities in USA, and the Dutch do not ride their bikes to Italy. They don't even ride them from Groningen to Maastricht, which is about as far as Cleveland to Niagara Falls. The Dutch have cars, about the same per capita as UK, but they supplement their cars with bike for local traffic, and there is no empirical evidence that it's doing the nation any harm. Since they don't depend on haughty swagger for self gratification like we do.
I have family in Holland. Direct family, not second and third removed. Aunts and Uncles and cousins.
The Dutch don't take mass transit and ride bikes all over their "cities" and "country-side" b/c they want to.
You can't compare Holland to a country where there is free will.
Quote:
Please stop applying shallow all-or-nothing mentality to the issues addressed in the thread.
Please stop using Holland as an example of anything that would remotely work in a country like the US.
I don't know a single cyclist that would ever dream of "clearing the cars from the road". No, not one............
All any cyclist wants is to ride without fear of getting hit or killed by some stupid driver. All cyclist want is..........TO SHARE THE ROAD WITH CARS SAFELY.
All any normal person driving a car wants is to not have to break for the morons riding side-by-side...let alone by themselves during rush hour.
The roads in the US aren't built for cars to SHARE with bikes. Bikes are a means of recreation, not transportation in the US.
Haul your hobby to the park or some trail to play. Go ride around a cul-de-sac for 3 hours and stop making those who drive cars crap their pants when you think you own the road and hit a rock or come upon a deer that's been laying on the soft shoulder for a few days...and swerve OUT and rely on ME to watch your azz.
I'm always shaking my head at the morons in their tights and bright yellow jackets riding along like they have some right to interfere with something that could send them a few hundred yards in the air and break more than a few bones.
Get your hobby on where it's safe for EVERYONE and stay OFF of the road while you're pretending you're a 2 ton car.
When US roads are built for cars to share with bikers? Fine. Great.
Until then? Stick to parks and trails or neighborhoods. Stay off and far away from busy roads that have CARS driving on them.
All any normal person driving a car wants is to not have to break for the morons riding side-by-side...let alone by themselves during rush hour.
The roads in the US aren't built for cars to SHARE with bikes. Bikes are a means of recreation, not transportation in the US.
Haul your hobby to the park or some trail to play. Go ride around a cul-de-sac for 3 hours and stop making those who drive cars crap their pants when you think you own the road and hit a rock or come upon a deer that's been laying on the soft shoulder for a few days...and swerve OUT and rely on ME to watch your azz.
I'm always shaking my head at the morons in their tights and bright yellow jackets riding along like they have some right to interfere with something that could send them a few hundred yards in the air and break more than a few bones.
Get your hobby on where it's safe for EVERYONE and stay OFF of the road while you're pretending you're a 2 ton car.
When US roads are built for cars to share with bikers? Fine. Great.
Until then? Stick to parks and trails or neighborhoods. Stay off and far away from busy roads that have CARS driving on them.
All any normal person driving a car wants is to not have to break for the morons riding side-by-side...let alone by themselves during rush hour.
The roads in the US aren't built for cars to SHARE with bikes. Bikes are a means of recreation, not transportation in the US.
Haul your hobby to the park or some trail to play. Go ride around a cul-de-sac for 3 hours and stop making those who drive cars crap their pants when you think you own the road and hit a rock or come upon a deer that's been laying on the soft shoulder for a few days...and swerve OUT and rely on ME to watch your azz.
I'm always shaking my head at the morons in their tights and bright yellow jackets riding along like they have some right to interfere with something that could send them a few hundred yards in the air and break more than a few bones.
Get your hobby on where it's safe for EVERYONE and stay OFF of the road while you're pretending you're a 2 ton car.
When US roads are built for cars to share with bikers? Fine. Great.
Until then? Stick to parks and trails or neighborhoods. Stay off and far away from busy roads that have CARS driving on them.
Not a very polite open minded response at all. Cyclist DO have a right to road space because all are taxpayers just like other vehicle drivers
If your post reflects your true attitude towards anyone not in as car then your state needs to revoke your ability to drive anywhere because you ARE as road hazzard.
Yup. After pages and pages of us saying exactly why being out in the snow, rain, and excessive humidity is a bad idea, having people repeat the "well, *I* do it and don't mind it" stuff is simply insulting and condescending. It's friggin' constant from bicycle riders wanting to clear the roads of cars. And it's going to be met with just that sort of hostility IN RETURN.
If YOU want to bike, then go ahead. But the "well *I* don't mind (the weather/snow/rain)" line IS and always has been condescending, even if it's the first time *you* used it.
First, no one said we want to clear the road of cars. The "I don't mind" line is NOT condescending if the bicyclist doesn't mind, if he can bike in that weather; he probably doesn't mind. What IS condescending is calling anyone who choses to go out in bad weather stupid or "fake macho".
It seemed like from the beginning of the post people were looking to find the most difficult scenarios for bicyclists and then arguing that bicyclists wasn't practical ever. Given when someone calls what I do either impossible, impractical, or stupid it's not unreasonable for me to give an example saying I can do it in these conditions.
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