Some cyclists and arrogance
 

I'm of course not speaking about ALL by any means but what is it about cyclists (especially roadies) who have this certain arrogance/elitist attitude about them? Guess cuz it can be quite a pricey sport maybe?

Road Nazis. SMH.

I don't think the percentage of cyclists who are arrogant/elitist is any different from other sports. I think it's related to the competitive nature of sports.

I see your point but it just seems a bit more in this sport..maybe im totally wrong tho

Let’s say I’m on a 67 mile, 6,000’ ride like yesterday. I love riding and it puts me in a great mood. I pass some of these folks going the other way and say How ya doin? I get nothing from some, just serious faces. I feel sorry for them because there does not seem to be any enjoyment there. So pity is my feeling!

Well, here's the other side of the coin. I was living in Portland OR, and had recently become unemployed, but still had a nice Italian Bottecchia Professional that I bought during better days when I had money, or thought I did. It was my 30th birthday, I hadn't gotten any in a long long time, and I had been feeling a little down, so I polished up my bike, put on my best jersey, and went for a ride to cheer myself up.

I rode 10 or 15 miles, felt first endorphins kick in, and started to feel OK. As I approached a bike shop, a woman and her bf were walking toward the front door of the place, and I could hear the woman talking, she said something like," ...but I just don't want to end up looking like a bike snob." As I ride past she turns, points at me, and exclaims, "LIKE THAT GUY!" I was completely deflated. :(

exactly! had the same thing happen today on my ride. sooooo serious! jeeeez. lighten up. enjoy where you're at!! :)

I hear you. FWIW, I don't get the whole reverse snobbery of some folks who think just because you look the part that you must be some sort of db, or worse, a poseur. For the most part, I find cyclists to be friendly and greet each other with a friendly wave. And, I don't take it personally when someone doesn't wave.
What I would hope someone would say is, I hope to end up looking like THAT guy someday.

Ya know , I ride the same (pretty much) routes every week and see many of the same cyclists and most of the time get a friendly wave or sometimes a "hello" from people going the opposite direction. There is this one guy , and I wave every week at him, that never waves or even a head nod. He is about my age (mid sixties) and I still wave every week on my Sunday ride and .......nothing. At this point it is my personal challenge, I will continue to wave and maybe someday he will wave back. I don't understand but that's OK he is just one guy who is either VERY serious about his riding(not that fast either) or just not a "people person" . I am and refuse to change, I have met some great folks while out riding or stopping for my water break or to fix a flat. My experience of over 40 years has taught me that cyclists are pretty cool folks. Of course there are always exceptions as with any other sport. Joe joesvintageroadbikes.wordpress, see my bikes and rides!

Show us on the doll where the mean arrogant cyclist touched you

Cyclists are a sub-set of people and so have the same range of personalities as people in general. If we all accept (or so I hope, anyway) that things like skin color, religion, nationality, etc dont particularly change the essential nature of human beings, do you really think that the type of bicycle one rides makes for a valid stereotype?

What happened that bruised your feelings so much and led to this outburst - did someone not wave?

I can't say that I recall ever meeting an arrogant roadie in real life - everyone that I'm met and talked to has been pretty chill. Then again, I don't see a lack of acknowledgement as a sign arrogance: a) there's no obligation in the first place and b) I know that sometimes you're just in a different headspace when you're on a ride. If you're going to assume that someone is a arrogant because they didn't give you a reciprocal wave, I think that type of projection says more about you than it does the non-waver. It's like those cringey guys that tell women to smile.

outburst?? lol. hardly.. nothing happened. every ride i go on, i cross paths with some dude or 2 with this elitist attitude. again, most are not this way

You've interacted with them? What do they do that's "elitist"?

How to they express their elitism ?

Must be an eastern European thing...

I think such attitudes are a sign of a narcissistic personality which is a close cousin of sociopathy. Sociopaths do not see themselves as a part of society. They see themselves as apart and above. The condition is more common than people think. There are plenty of You Tube videos by shrinks about this and it is worth knowing about. A milder form is the cyber bully. Once this is understood, these personality disorders can be dealt with with equanimity. Don't let someone else's mental disorder ruin your day.

I am curious as well, as to what the elitist attitude is....

Same old, same old. Their bike cost more, they must be an ass. I've learned that what we in the US call "reverse snobbery" is called "inverse snobbery" in the UK. Still pondering which term is most descriptive.

Snob.

You can't beat a friendly wave from a fellow cyclist.

Some maybe, but reading these threads and general comments it strikes me there is a lot of projections going on. It's usual same old "I stopped at a light all full of wonderful feelings, and this guy on his fancy bike didn't say hi back!" or "that one cyclist didn't wave back!" Clearly he/she is elitist blah, blah, blah. Maybe they just didn't see your wave, or by the time it registered you already passed, or maybe they are just not very social and it's stressful for them to engage in small talk, etc.

I'm not a snob - I'm just an ahole.

maybe they are a lot better than you.



Just kidding.

Not possible in the land of Minnesota Nice

Incorrect.

It's more "Minnesota 'Nice'," than "Minnesota Nice." It's a passive-aggressive thing. You're forgiven though, as many Minnesotans don't understand it, even though they've got the act down pat.