It's too bad you couldn't have had some fun with them. I'm the type to say something to interject into their conversation ... like "oh RIBBONS! That would've been SO CUTE! Oh wow, I wish I would have thought of that. Thanks for the idea, I will definitely do that next time!" And at the rate I've coordinated things to my bike (the Bianchi, not the gaudy Orbea), I have even done things like match nail polish.

I know what it's like to be athletic but new at something. I would have felt bad too - swimming is new to me and if someone made fun of me or made me feel inferior, I'd be upset.

When I was first riding, I was doing a century on my mountain bike. I had equipped it with city tires but the bike was not geared for road riding. I was riding about 6,000 miles a year on it though and was proud that I could keep up with roadies on occasion. On a century once a guy said in this totally patronizing bike "oh wow, look at you go! That is SUCH a heavy bike!". It wasn't said in admiration, I felt like he was talking to a child. I ended up passing him on a hill. I really wanted to say something but I didn't.

Life is too short not to have fun. Nothing wrong with pink bikes or streamers or ribbons. Go see an Aids Ride sometime if you want to see festive