Cycling to work

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goo_mason

Champion barbed-wire hurdler
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
Yep, same reaction here when I say I do a 20-mile round-trip 4 days a week on the bike. You'd think I'd climbed Everest wearing nothing but khaki shorts & sand-shoes by the way they react.

Once that's out the way, I get the lines about it's too dangerous for them to cycle, cyclists all jump red lights, don't pay tax etc etc.

They just can't see what's right under their noses. Content to sit, stuck & frustrated, in endless queues every day to drive the 2 or 3 miles home, whilst I go sailing by on the bike. Yet it's still cyclists holding everyone up.... :biggrin:
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
I think I'm quite well known for cycling to work since I was involved in an accident that caused major traffic disruption for virtually everyone here a while back. Although since I sometimes use a recumbent, it had attracted some attention anyway.

So whenever I visit the coffee machine, I get:

"You're still cycling to work then?... I'd cycle to work, but..."

It's too far
It's too dangerous
What do you do when it rains
It's too cold
It's too hot
I need to lose some weight first

...or one of a a long list of other excuses.

But I think it's a good sign that people say "I'd cycle but". It shows that seeing me doing it day after day is making them at least think about it. That's got to be good.
 
goo_mason said:
You'd think I'd climbed Everest wearing nothing but khaki shorts & sand-shoes by the way they react.

Billy Conolly-inspired by any chance?

"Moutain Rescue are sick of it! Goin' up Ben Nevis an' rescuin' people in f***in' khaki shorts an' san'shoes! Where d'ye think ye've gone, Benidorm!!?"

Back to the thread, I am still regarded as something a bit out of the ordinary by some of our cycle commuters as mine is 11.5 miles each way, recently trumped by a colleague who lives up Vikeonabike's way and does 16.2 miles each way. The confirmed car-bound at work think we're all nutters!
 

tordis

New Member
Location
London
I do get The Look when I tell people at work that my round-trip is around 21 miles. No comments on safety, though, apart from the usual "I hope you wear a helmet". Which, by the way, I do not.
 

Jezston

Über Member
Location
London
Not with that haircut I'm sure you wouldn't!

Currently working on getting my boss to buy a new bike and start cycling in regularly. He lives 17 miles away but it's all country lanes and fairly flat, and he managed it once on his mountain BSO. He's got a dodgy lower back so recommending he gets a tourer with panniers.

Apparently quite a few people have noticed how much I've changed since I started almost a year ago and are getting keen on taking it up themselves.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
There is no 'piss take' or defamatory comments where I work.

For 1/, we have a 'Diversity committee'; 2/ The company has their name on bike frames ( mines a Land Rover Tahora ) and 3/ Jaguar supply the support vehicles to the Sky Team.
 
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