saddle up

[Magoo]

this thread is about cyclists.
not the guy struggling into a headwind on a borrowed bike with half flat tyres at six oclock on the morning to get to work because he just lost his license. hes off the hook.

nor are the saddlebag set, who have been agreeably absent since the outbreak. those are the ones grunting their way over the paraparas carrying all their earthlies on their skinny little bicycles. what a fucking nightmare. road maps dont show topography, and the trip looked easy from his laptop in sveden.  those poor sods are safe as well.

then youve got the sunset electric squads, they travel in numbers on their flash electric bikes, often over light terrain. old timers who never rode a meter before the electric bike. to be safe they ignore the roas and go for just the sort of terrain one might walk the dogs, or jog, or take a leisurely stroll. not have a goddam moto-cross event.
but i digress. the oldies are fairly harmless, would be better if they had little cat collars bells around their necks so we could hear them coming.

no, this thread is about road racing cyclists. who can guess which side of the fence spit flecked, fuseless, angry old prick magoo is going to fall?

you better believe it. now there may be one or two of these around, if so, nothing personal you road bogarting bicycle bastards. 
the bottom feeders of the carriageway if you will. their sport of road racing demands they practice on roads, and indeed, compete on roads. that being so, and there being so many of them, why dont they build their own roads instead of using our carriageways?

i like rugby, could i practice on the roundabout at botany downs? do anglers demand water be made available for their sport? would the southern motorway be a good place for a game of tennis? motor racing provide their own circuits and practice tracks. as does tennis, netball etc. yes much of that is public funded, so go through the process cyclists and apply, sell some banana cakes. our schools have to do it for fund raising what makes the road cycling fraternity different?

im not going to go into the crotch wobbly lycra lot with cleats on their shoes, clip clopping across the lino down at 
the local four square with their VPluses. mincing their way out like theyre late for the Pride March. i'll say nothing of their seats, other than its not all about girth boys. 

nor will i go into the fact they contribute nothing by way of ongoing maintenance of our roads via petrol taxes, but are somehow excluded from paying road user charges as well. a double grift imo. i wont lambast them any further for these indiscretions because i know they had to get their bikes there in cars that use fuel ruc's etc.  thats fine and well, but i dont expect then to restrict your access at any given time while i participate in my sport.

theyre a scourge and a pox on the landscape. and as Deedee, joey, johnny and markee say, im against it
kick it deedee

[Lilith7]

My transport is a bicycle - not flash & not electric, just run of the mill pushbike.
I've never had the misfortune to come across those packs of lycra clad cyclists; have only ever seen them on TV but can see that they'd be a nightmare for any driver to get past.

[harm_less]

Living as we do in a rural area the troups of 'competitive' cyclists out for their training rides present a serious hazard for not only themselves but also for other road users. It is particularly dangerous on busy non-highway rural roads, which seem to hold a particular attraction for these two wheeled lemmings. One of the roads that we used to live on was a rural road designated as an 'arterial route' on our local council plan with a 100kmh speed limit despite it having numerous blind corners, hidden driveway entrances, 'pinch points' where pulling clear of the lane is impossible, numerous slow agricultural vehicles and poor pavement condition due to its frequent use by heavy vehicles. Tradies merrily using their cellphones while driving also add to the risks involved.

Mobs of these cyclists all too often ride 2, 3 or more abreast which makes for some heart stopping moments along with copious abuse from them if a vehicle squeezes them from their intended line or sounds a horn in an attempt to warn them of the traffic restriction they present. And these cyclists are the first to bleat when one of their number becomes a road injury statistic, or roadkill.

[Praktica]

Long ago, I used to cycle to work - and remember, this was in Dunedin. One of my workmates also cycled in - the difference being that he rode a fixed wheel track bike!

[Magoo]

Long ago, I used to cycle to work - and remember, this was in Dunedin. One of my workmates also cycled in - the difference being that he rode a fixed wheel track bike!

we had to cycle to the bus stop (5k's) to catch the bus to school (15k's)
hated it. sub zero temps and snow to the foothills of the tararuas. 
oilskin that held rain traps that emptied into your gumboots when you dismounted.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Lake Road on a Saturday if you want a bit of mmil watching. Middle aged men in lycra wearing funny shoes that click clack when they walk into the local cafe for their double shot soy americanos.

Don't look, Ethel... Put a woman off for life, those fluoro covered wobbly bits...

[Magoo]

lycra is not unlike human skin, insofar as its ability to stretch around the mass it contains.

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and how about those hats the flash ones are wearing.
theyre a hat that say 'i couldnt find anything stupider'
well i suppose something like captain hooks chapeau would be suitable too.






stylish...