Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
If a person can assume, based on the information you provided, that there is some relationship between performance cycling and high levels of utilitarian cycling, that person can assume anything else that wishful thinking might dream possible.
How about no relationship since almost zero percent of the utilitarian cyclists in NL show any interest in riding performance bicycles (or anything that even resembles one), wearing "performance cycling clothing," or donning helmets in 100% opposite behavior of competitive cyclists or the cyclists who like to emulate them.
And yet six out of every seven Dutch watched at least one stage of the Tour De France. That seems to show some interest in the performance aspect of cycling. I guess looks can be deceiving.
As John Forrester has often noted in this forum, the old-time club cyclist, who often raced and did other competitive and semi-competitive cycling events, was also a utilitarian cyclist. When riding to work, we didn't put on our (wool) kits unless work was many miles away, and helmets were only required for some races. We would have looked just like those folks in NL that you say show no interest in riding performance bicycles. You may have seen some of these folks riding in Philadelphia when you were younger. They may have looked just like you. Pity there were never very many of them there.