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| Triathletes Complete the First Leg - Swimming in Duck Lake |
Last weekend I was struck by the irony of the fractious nature of people that ride bikes. While I’m not going to name specific blogs here, some that I read regularly seem to get joy out of deriding people that ride ebikes, or that ride recumbent bikes, or that mountain bike, that drive their bikes to ride, or that blade skate as somehow “lower” than people that ride “regular bikes.” Some also ridicule others for either riding their bikes in particular ways on our roads or for NOT riding their bikes in the exact same manner.
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| This Looks as Confused as a Rest Stop at the HH100! |
I haven’t been immune to this, as I was reminded last weekend. You see, there was a triathlon up here in Ocean Shores. I’m not alone in viewing triathletes on bikes with a bit of suspicion (go
here or
here or
here) and this view wasn’t totally unfounded as I watched triathletes that lacked any real bike handling capability attempt to ride their megabuck bikes, or
read Witch on a Bicycle recount a recent triathlete who was killed by running into a parked car. Upon reflection, however, just as people going to car shows, or riding brevets, or playing golf, they were having fun. Nowadays, our society allows us to have fun in all sorts of ways. Like bike commuting, or charity rides. We should not forget that while some of us ride our bikes for transportation, for most in places like the USA, we do that at least partly by choice. Riding a bike for a transportation choice is really not a lot different than riding one for a recreational or sporting choice.
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| A Less Charitable Blog Would Use this Photo to Comment on Whether Triathletes Know What to Do With a Bike as they Leave the "Bike Pick Up" Area |
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| Course Worker Directs the Triathletes at the First Corner |
Almost all of us use the road system to go places. Even triathletes. Let's remember that riding a bike really IS fun and safe. Even ebikes and triathlons!
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| Proof that Triathletes CAN Turn on a Bike! |
5 comments:
I think that if it's got two wheels, it's all good.
Riding all kinds of bicycles, from roade to klunker, helps to understand where folks are coming from.
If you know what I mean.
That triathletes may not be the best bike handlers has some validity; I used to know triathletes who did most of their training on computerized indoor trainers
Mean or dangerous is about all I have fractiousness about these days. And I mostly just let that go.
Just because you have an expensive bike, doesn't mean you know how to drive it well. I agree.
Paz :)
I was riding on an Oahu road one day and saw a triathlete, about a hundred yards ahead of me, riding on her aero bars with head down. She rode at full speed into the back of a parked car. Fortunately, only the bicycle was damaged--rather seriously.
Writing a check for something and knowing how to use it properly are two different things. That applies to computers, smart phones, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, musical instruments, shop tools, etc.
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No Need for Non-Robot proof here!