Lack of interest: cycling races

[Sky King]

Industry magazine covers are the worst for projecting what a bike rider looks like - glance at the covers - 99 % of the time they depict a person standing up on their uber fancy bike all decked out in the latest kit. Cracks me up. Yes we all can do our best to promote Riding Your Bike - I love the slogan Transport Not Sport but someone else owns that one
Go be happy with what ever bike style you enjoy. (If you are a racer - that's okay too )

[Trek420]

And we even get podium boys now


http://www.ladiestour.no/pressemeldi...dag-15-august/

[shootingstar]

Industry magazine covers are the worst for projecting what a bike rider looks like - glance at the covers - 99 % of the time they depict a person standing up on their uber fancy bike all decked out in the latest kit. Cracks me up. Yes we all can do our best to promote Riding Your Bike - I love the slogan Transport Not Sport but someone else owns that one
Go be happy with what ever bike style you enjoy. (If you are a racer - that's okay too )

No doubt some of these images, may make some who really want to return to cycling, but don't , because they may feel self-conscious on the bike. When some people who don't know me at all, make a comment about my cycling stuff in a tone that suggest it's racing/led to believe I'm some sort of wannabe athlete: I squash that by saying that I don't have a car and my bicycle is how I get around. Which in the city where I live....is a big deal...to go car-free. Quite unusual.

I like the podium boys' costumes. Maybe podium women should dress up like dragonslayers or somethin'.

[Sky King]

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

[rebeccaC]

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

thinking you wouldn't like the tutu and fairy wings that i put on for riding across the finish line in the Cinderella Challenge......

from the Tour de Fat photos on flickr it looked like a great time yesterday for those who participated.....it also raises a lot of money for bike advocacy groups in the Boise area ($75,000 this year and $300,000+ since it started in Boise).....hopefully that can temper your curmudgeon attitude

[Owlie]

Okay a bit off topic, but then there is the other extreme - Yesterday the Tour De Fat took place in Boise. 10,000 people dressed up in stupid costumes riding bicycles. Sorry but to me that paints bike riding to another realm and IMO does very little to promote riding your bike as a means of transportation. Yes, I am a curmudgeon and we avoid the event like the plague. On a more positive note we had a lovely bike ride through the foothills yesterday morning, 24 miles of rolling hills.

Eh, sounds like fun. It doesn't always have to be serious business.

[shootingstar]

Eh, sounds like fun. It doesn't always have to be serious business.

Absolutely right. Cyclists look serious a lot of time in their gear, focused on the road (either abiding by road rules or not), cycling with even in their street clothing, their groceries: focus, focus..because of the traffic around them.

That type of fun mass group ride with costumes on bikes..in the cities where I've lived ..is quite rare throughout the year. Meaning over 1.5 million people in each of the 3 Canadian cities. Of course, there are people who consider cycling in a dress and high heels a "costume" in itself. I am aware of 2 Vancouver bike store owners who would welcome that sort of fun group costumed bike ride. 1 of the bike store owners was a racer in his youth. Now, he rides slowly around with his Great Dane dog on leash.

The other bike store owner actually has expanded his bike store and inventory of bikes. Has been in business for over 15 years in Vancouver. His store tends to have more broad range of city/commuter bikes, as well as touring and folding bikes. He always has been known to be fun-crazy --Cat in the Hat costume at Bike Month events, unicycling, etc. while promoting his store, etc. It depends how broad a market, the bike store wants to reach.

[Crankin]

Eh, I think riding in a costume is silly, too, Sky King. But then, I think Halloween is silly, especially for adults. Yes, I tend to be serious and I don't care if people think that's wrong!
But, if people want to do it to raise money, fine. Too each her own.

[Sky King]

Raising money for cycling advocacy is great for sure. The carnival atmosphere is probably fine for those who enjoy it too. The aftermath of the event is what is often disappointing and does nothing to
expand the hearts of people driving cars in the area. 1,000's of drunk people, in costumes, on bikes, disobeying traffic laws and showing the "not so cute" side of mass cycling events. We will be hearing about it
for weeks. Ah well, I do lots of other things that promote cycling and as I said and others too - not my thing so I just don't go. Just dread the day someone gets hurt or killed after the event.