Acknowledging cyclists

Peter B said:

<1> assuming there is one.

Hello :-)

~PB

Peter B typed:

Quoted message said:

the sample was a bit small).

It's never stopped others jumping to all sorts of
conclusions .. 😉

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks

Quoted message said:

Cyclist 4: A young lady pushing a mtb up a hill, "Good
morning" says I to be rewarded with a warm greeting and a
smile that could lead me to a divorce so I could spend the
rest of my life pushing her bike up hills just to see her
smile. 1 up to nice young ladies.

Yeah. We like nice young ladies. They're very
motivational 🙂

I always greet other roadies, although generally I meet
other roadies who are going in the other direction,
since the closing speed on roadies going in the same
direction is low.

Most of the time, the other guy returns the gesture.

Recently, however, I've been overtaking other roadies -
happened three times in the last week. I'm faster, these
days, and there are more people on the road. In each
case, I said "hello" or "good afternoon" as I went by and
got a reply.

I also greet people on unusual bikes - recumbents, tandems,
etc - because they clearly have an interest.

Apart from that, I don't greet. Sometimes because of the
rider (teenager with a cap on backwards with their heels on
the pedals and a too-low saddle on a beaten up MTB is
offputting), but mostly it's just social over-pressure;
seeing too many people to cope with during the day. I have
to switch off the most of them. If I lived somewhere where
there were far fewer people, I'd be much more open to
greeting strangers.

--
Callas

Callas <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Cyclist 4: A young lady pushing a mtb up a hill, "Good
morning" says I to be rewarded with a warm greeting and
a smile that could lead me to a divorce so I could spend
the rest of my life pushing her bike up hills just to
see her smile. 1 up to nice young ladies.

Yeah. We like nice young ladies. They're very
motivational 🙂

I always greet other roadies, although generally I meet
other roadies who are going in the other direction,
since the closing speed on roadies going in the same
direction is low.

an AUK top seems a good way of getting zero'd by
_proper_ cyclists.

Peter B:

Quoted message said:

So there you have it folks, proper roadies with nothing to
prove and young ladies are the friendliest cyclists based
on my research. (Yeah, I know,

the

Quoted message said:

sample was a bit small).

Yesterday, I saw a young lad, couldn't have been more than
11-12, on a scaled-down-but-proper road bike and decked out
in full winter kit (leggings, arms warmers, balaclava,
overshoes) in Mapei colours (colours being the operative
word - lots and lots of colours).

I gave him a nod and a 'good morning', which he returned.
So, 1 point to kids who appear to have a proper interest
in cycling.

d.

davek said:

Peter B:

Quoted message said:

So there you have it folks, proper roadies with nothing
to prove and young ladies are the friendliest cyclists
based on my research. (Yeah, I know,

the

Quoted message said:

sample was a bit small).

Yesterday, I saw a young lad, couldn't have been more than
11-12, on a scaled-down-but-proper road bike and decked
out in full winter kit (leggings, arms warmers, balaclava,
overshoes) in Mapei colours (colours being the operative
word - lots and lots of colours).

I gave him a nod and a 'good morning', which he returned.
So, 1 point to kids who appear to have a proper interest
in cycling.

d.

Last year I overtook a couple of young ladies going up a
hill; they were wearing racing gear and had expensive bikes.
As I passed them I gave them a cheerful greeting and got a
dirty look and the response: "Don't

'em all.

Anthony
--
Using Linux GNU/Debian - Windows-free zone
acampbell.org.ukacampbell.org.ukOpen ↗ (book reviews and articles)
Email: replace "www." with "ac@"

Anthony Campbell said:

davek said:

Peter B:

Quoted message said:

So there you have it folks, proper roadies with nothing
to prove and young ladies are the friendliest cyclists
based on my research. (Yeah, I know,

the

Quoted message said:

sample was a bit small).

Yesterday, I saw a young lad, couldn't have been more than
11-12, on a scaled-down-but-proper road bike and decked
out in full winter kit (leggings, arms warmers, balaclava,
overshoes) in Mapei colours (colours being the operative
word - lots and lots of colours).

I gave him a nod and a 'good morning', which he returned.
So, 1 point to kids who appear to have a proper interest
in cycling.

d.

Last year I overtook a couple of young ladies going up a
hill; they were wearing racing gear and had expensive
bikes. As I passed them I gave them a cheerful greeting
and got a dirty look and the response: "Don't

Quoted message said:

'em all.

Anthony

I grin (though some may misinterpret this as a grimace of
absolute suffering I suppose) at other cyclists. As I was
struggling up a hill which I now call an undulation (things
have improved in the leg department, wahey!) I got a cheery
hello from a bloke going the other way (down), in full lycra
and nice racing bike. That same ride as I was checking my
map and having a swig of water (ok, I stopped for a few
minutes for a breather LOL) another chappie - more
traditional touring setup, no lycra, blend into hedgerows
colour clothes etc, stopped and asked if I needed any
help... No, but thanks very much anyway... just working out
which way to go, said I, with a big grin.

Most other cyclists on road/touring bikes will smile or
wave. Mountain bikers seem less prone to this, for some
reason - do they perceive road bikes as somehow in a
different leage, not up to the tough off-road muddy
technical stuff and somehow beneath them? I dunno.

But the best one ever was one of my early rides last year,
when I was still really very unfit (rather than mostly
unfit) - when I caught then passed my first ever cyclists.
Ok, so the pair of them were going slowly, and the lady on
her mountain bike particularly so (being dropped by the
bloke on his lighter faster bike) - but it was a gradual
uphill climb, and I was surprised at the speed I was
managing to close the gap by.

As I cycled past slowly (I'd slowed down quite a bit while
evaluating whether to actually pass given the incline would
get steeper) I said hello to let her know I was coming up
behind, and mentioned she might find it easier in a lower
gear (it was obviously way too high). Ooh she said, I hadn't
really thought of that, thankyou. No problem said I, then
added: you know, when I first started out I couldn't keep up
with anyone up ahead either, and any sort of uphill killed
me. Keep at it and you'll find it gets easier faster than
you think, and don't worry if you can't keep up, just do it
at your own speed and let him wait for you.

She gave me a look that said a thousand words about him up
ahead not waiting for her, and I gave her a big smile, told
her it really *would* get easier, and cranked up the power
and spurted past her.

I get more smiles (though they're probably just laughing at
FBOB in lycra, it has to be said) from roadies and tourers
than other cyclists. The shopping cyclists usually give me
withering stares for some reason, if they see me at all.

--

Velvet

Hi, I always say hello. Indeed most of my usergroup
post start with a salutation of some sort - that's me;
I'm a nice guy!

I have found 95% of riders will acknowledge me if I raise my
hand to them or say a quick "hello" or "morning". Like any
other walk in life, you're always going to get ignorant gits
so don't let it get to you. If people choose to ignore me
then they are obviously so self obsessed that they are
probably [censored] anyway and so I wouldn't want them to be
acknowledging me.

KM

By the way, good evening everyone...

"Peter B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Following on from an earlier thread I thought I'd relate
the results of todays experience of acknowledging other
cyclists. Luckily for you, dear reader <1>, only a short
ride due to various aches and pains from

yesterdays

Quoted message said:

windsurfing shennanigans.

Cyclist 1: Looked like a utility cyclist and to my
discredit I didn't

speak

Quoted message said:

when I overtook him which made me consider the earlier
thread and resolve to acknowledge all other cyclists
regardlesss of appearance.

Cyclist 2: He overtook me with a "good morning", duly
acknowledged. Although not a great benchmark the ease with
which he left me indicated

he

Quoted message said:

was a seriously keen rider, so 1 up for a genuine roadie.

Cyclist 3: From the other direction appeared Lance, well
someone decked

out

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from head to toe in UPS gear anyway, "Good morning" says I
to be greeting with a stare that led me to believe he'd
just been beamed down and I was

the

Quoted message said:

first Earthling he'd seen. Surprise or ignorance I don't
know but the lack of response awards him a -1 to a
wannabe.

Cyclist 4: A young lady pushing a mtb up a hill, "Good
morning" says I to be rewarded with a warm greeting and a
smile that could lead me to a

divorce

Quoted message said:

so I could spend the rest of my life pushing her bike up
hills just to

see

Quoted message said:

her smile. 1 up to nice young ladies.

Cyclist 5: Mr. Trainers and toe-clips approaching the
other way on a

parked

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car chicane and passing within a few feet (bits of
metres). Bless him,

it's

Quoted message said:

not his fault I'd turned invisible at that point, I went
to speak but figured my voice coming out of the ether
might spook him. -2 to a complete bottom.

Cyclists 6 & 7: Geezer followed by GF by the looks of
things. "Good afternoon" says I. "Grunt" says Geezer in a
man meeting man manly

manner,

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not exactly unfriendly, just can't be seen to be less than
a man. 0.5 to Geezer. "Good afternoon" says I to GF. "Hi"
says GF with a smile that makes me

want

Quoted message said:

to push a stick into Geezers rear mech so he can push his
bike as well as Young Ladys while I enjoy the company of
Young Lady and GF before SWMBO wonders where I am and has
me arrested for being a Dirty Old Man. Another point to
Nice Young Ladies.

So there you have it folks, proper roadies with nothing to
prove and young ladies are the friendliest cyclists based
on my research. (Yeah, I know,

the

Quoted message said:

sample was a bit small).

<1> assuming there is one.

Pete

"davek" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter B:

Quoted message said:

So there you have it folks, proper roadies with nothing
to prove and

young

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ladies are the friendliest cyclists based on my
research. (Yeah, I know,

the

Quoted message said:

sample was a bit small).

Yesterday, I saw a young lad, couldn't have been more than
11-12, on a scaled-down-but-proper road bike and decked
out in full winter kit (leggings, arms warmers, balaclava,
overshoes) in Mapei colours (colours being the operative
word - lots and lots of colours).

I gave him a nod and a 'good morning', which he returned.
So, 1 point to kids who appear to have a proper interest
in cycling.

Although maybe a bit lacking in the calendar department?

--
Ben

Peter B said:

Following on from an earlier thread I thought I'd relate
the results of todays experience of acknowledging other
cyclists. Luckily for you, dear reader <1>, only a short
ride due to various aches and pains from yesterdays
windsurfing shennanigans.

Hi Peter

This reminds me of a post of mine from last year.

<http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z3F814BB8> OR:uk.rec.cycling+author:James+author:Hodson&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&selm=32akkvcrjaq26qqkoq1p11se1u26f9i83k%404ax.com&rnum=1>

James

Ben:

Quoted message said:

Although maybe a bit lacking in the calendar department?

I thought his attire was a wee bit OTT, but the weather
on Sunday wasn't exactly seasonal so he can be excused. I
was in a short-sleeved light summer shirt, vest and
shorts and was wishing I had worn my long-sleeved thermal
top and leggings.

d.

Sue typed:

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Peter B typed:

Quoted message said:

the sample was a bit small).

It's never stopped others jumping to all sorts of
conclusions .. 😉

Like h*lm*ts, each greeting is good for 1.8 riders, so
only one of a pair or couple will say hello to you. Except
pairs/groups of women only, who seem to be all smiles
anyway (got away from the old grouch for the day?)

I think we should all follow your example and say hello to
as many other cyclists as possible, particularly the miserable-
looking ones.

.. Engage them in light-hearted banter etc .. 😉

--
Paul ...

(8(|) ... Homer Rocks