When you’ve spent enough time doing something that it could literally be counted as a lifetime of its own, well, you’re committed.
Or, maybe you should be committed. I can never tell which.
That’s the way it goes with cycling and me. I don’t walk around announcing to everyone that I ride a bike, but I do feel part of a community or brotherhood/sisterhood of folks who spend a lot of time on two wheels.
And, of course, I loathe stereotypes and getting stereotyped.
When I’m driving and I see a lone rider on the highway hugging the white line instead of moving over a foot or two, I give him plenty of room, and then bitch to the heavens.
When I see a cyclist perform an illegal maneuver on the street, I rant like crazy in my head.
To paraphrase Jon Bon Jovi, They give cyclists a bad name. (Dang, now get that tune stuck in your head for the rest of day)
Anything that casts a shadow of cyclists irks me to no end.
Don’t get me started on what damages a trail more, bike tires or horse hooves. Or that trail signs place cyclists at the bottom of the courtesy triangle.
Few things tick me off more than a recreational trail that allows bikes AND motos. What does burn me more than that are those shared areas that are littered with junk that it would be impossible for a cyclist to haul deep into the woods or dunes — you know, couches, car seats, refrigerators, etc.
On many levels cyclists get lumped in with some of these other groups and it’s irritating that we get judged by the company we keep, even if we don’t really keep with that company.
OK, where am I going with all this?
I’m sans bike, minding my own business, hiking in The Three Sisters Wilderness when I come upon this sign:
“Closed to motor vehicles, motorized equipment, hang gliders and bicycles.”
Hang gliders?
Seriously?
Now we’re not only smashed together with dune buggies, ATVs, monster trucks, and motocross bikes, we’re kindred spirits with individuals who have a hankerin’ to leap off cliffs to fly like birds? (Not to be confused with those who leap off cliffs on their bikes to tumble like rag dolls.)
This week’s question: What drives you mad that soils the rep’ of our clan?
The thing that drives me mad is the elitist attitudes that so many “cyclists” have. I swear so many mountain bikers are just Hateful Old Hikers on wheels.
Mountain bikers and moto riders have more in common than not, and most (in many places) mountain bike trails were originally moto trails that mtn bikers “discovered” then bitched to land management agencies to get the motos kicked off of. If you don’t think that mtn bikes are the second priority in the crosshairs of enviro groups like the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, then I want some of what you’re smoking.
As both a mtn biker first, then also a moto rider later, this kind of attitude really bugs me. Moto riders have to pay for annual permits to ride on public land, and those fees go to trail maintenance. Moto riders are the ones that carry chain saws in the spring to clear winter deadfall and handsaws the rest of the year to clear more deadfall. I’ve never once seen a mtn biker with a chainsaw mounted to their bikes. Moto riders are also the ones that are happy to share the trail with all users.
So, Raz, if you truly hate being stereotyped, I respectfully ask that you stop acting like the stereotypical Hateful Old Hiker that we have all had scowling at us as we are just out there doing our thing, not hurting anyone.
Thanks for your well thought out response. While this was simply another failed attempt at sarcasm, it opened the door for you to shed light on a lot of issues that I, for one, didn’t know or considered. That’s a good thing, and the point of TCI Fridays. As far as chainsaws on bikes, well, that does happen out here in Oregon, but for the most part we hike in on trail maintenace days. And I do carry a small handsaw to do what I can. But I will share the trails with a much more open mind now
Right on Raz. While I did pick up on the attempt at sarcasm, it still brought up for me the exasperation I feel when people chose to ride or hike on a multi use trail that includes motos, then get annoyed or mad when they see motos on it. There are infinitely more trails that don’t allow motos than do, so I understand that whether they realize it or not people are really just mad at themselves for their choice of trail that day. After all, they walked or rode past many signs indicating that motos are indeed allowed there. On the other side of the coin, there is not a single public singletrack out there that allows motos but excludes hikers or bikers. Human behavior is full of examples of people taking it out on others when they are really just mad at themselves.
I understand both sides of this issue, for there was once a time when I was the mountain biker that got annoyed by dirt bikes until a fellow mountain biker explained to me the information I posted above. From that place of intolerance I moved to a place of tolerance. Then, once I learned how to ride on a dual sport bike I ventured onto singletrack on a motorcycle and a whole new world opened up to me and it made me a better mountain biker and a stronger athlete overall.
Cheers!