All of this reminds me of an interview I saw many years ago on the David Letterman show. John Kruk was the interviewee. For those that don't know, Kruk is a baseball guy. A player for the Padres, Phillies and White Sox and now a broadcaster for ESPN. He wrote a book entitled, I Ain't an Athlete, Lady!, which leads to the point of this post.
Letterman asked Kruk what it was like to be a professional athlete during the interview. Kruk responded by saying, "I ain't an athlete. I am a baseball player".
For whatever reason, that has stuck with me and helped me to grasp that not everyone who enjoys or participates in athletics is an athlete per se. This is not necessarily a bad thing but only an observation on my part. Some people love multiple sports. I, as a young man, played everything and anything involving a ball and lettered in multiple sports over multiple years in both high school and college. But some people find their niche, or passion, in just one discipline. There are plenty of people out there who are "cyclists". That is all they do. They love it. Perhaps excel at it. They are cyclists - but not necessarily athletes. Give a cyclist a baseball glove and they could possibly hurt themselves whereas an athlete can look comfortable in just about any sporting situation.
Another perfect example of people who are not athletes yet excel at a sporting skill is NASCAR drivers. I love NASCAR, but to call Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. an athlete because they drive a car with great skill is a bit of a stretch.
So you may be wondering what the point of all this is. I am not so sure now myself to be honest other than to say regardless of whether you consider yourself an athlete or a cyclist - own who you are. Who gives a flying f&%* what someone else says. Considering that this forum is for cyclists I would say to be a cyclists and be proud. And maybe you can one day get to the point where you own it to such a degree as Kruk owned being "just" a major league baseball player. And then, when someone asks you about being an athlete you can say, "I ain't an athlete. I am a cyclist".
PostScript: Kruk retired in possibly the coolest way I have ever seen. During a game in Baltimore, Kruk went to the plate needing a hit to get his career batting average up to .300. He walked to the plate and proceeded to get a single. Upon reaching first base, he called the coach over, took off his helmet and gloves, handed them to the coach and retired on the spot. He walked off the field and that was the end of his career.