Comments on: Things People Say about Cycling

By: jol

jol — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:01:00 +0000

Well I run too, here are some of the things people say. First what gives people the apparent right to have a conversation with a complete stranger. Probably wouldn’t if I wasn’t running or biking.
“Get your knees up” Why? Where to? will this help me go quicker… I don’t think so.
” Come on old timer” I did actually think I was being caught by someone… Turned round no one there… for miles.
“keep going” I intend to, but at that moment in time I cannot offer an explanation as to why I am wasting a perfectly good afternoon when I can be snoozing on the sofa watching athletics(with my eyes closed in relaxed vigilence).
“There’s a bear behind” A moments worry there…
On one occasion a farmer was moving his cows from one field to another, and I was in it, moderately scary, you can never trust cows! especially when one chooses to join in. Of course one wag in the pack said “stick a number on it”. Still it was seriously entertaining watching marshalls chase the cow back up the road towards the runners. (and away from me.)

By: tim

tim — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:57:11 +0000

Another great article, I’m looking for cycling article writers, will pay money for each article – read this for more – http://www.dailycycle.co.uk/post/2009/09/09/Road-Cycling-Blog-e28093-Article-Writers-Required.aspx

Thanks

By: Nick

Nick — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:28:37 +0000

I was at Orlando airport wearing my Tour de France T shirt and some guy said “Did you ride?”
My answer “err no!!! Just watched”
Well I was just bording the plane with a young baby in my arms and trying to get passports out of my pocket!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:31:53 +0000

In the ski area of Vail, Colorado in the Rocky Mountains, the locals ride mountain bikes UP the ski hill (about 7 miles on the cat tracks), where we get incredulous looks from the tourists who took the gondola up, rented bikes at the top and are going downhill in jeans, city shoes, helmets that are way too loose, and seats that are way too low. They sometimes make a comment like “wow, you ride UP?” or “I’m glad I’m going down and not UP!”, we return the greeting with: “Ya gotta deserve the downhill!”

http://cyclingeurope.wordpress.com

By: tejvan

tejvan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:13:36 +0000

In America, people often shouted to me”come on Lance” “It’s Lance Armstrong!”

I’ve never had the pleasure of being told ‘lovely legs’

By: Dan H

Dan H — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:50:20 +0000

“Lovely legs!” I have had that shouted at me more than once while riding through town in (non-lycra) shorts. This is even without shaving them!

I haven’t heard any of the ones you quote, but as cycling is mainstream in Cambridge I suppose it’s less comment-worthy. “There’s a path over there” I have had shouted at me exactly twice: once by a pedestrian when using a shared-use path to avoid a junction in the intended way (the path pointed at went the opposite way to where I wanted to go), and once on a busy roundabout where the nearby cycle path is ridiculously narrow and adds an extra two minutes to the journey (assuming you don’t meet anyone coming the opposite way).

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:52:08 +0000

No one in the States ever makes the EPO joke, but its just because no one here pays the slightest attention to cycling. Yes, that is still true even after the recent hullaballoo. The only American doper anyone has ever heard of is Barry Bonds (an aged, surly and overweight baseball player)

By: Brett Nolan

Brett Nolan — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:42:29 +0000

Hey, thanks for the link! Excellent post. Have you ever taken a swipe at a spectator encouraging you to “keep going?”