Originally Posted by wphamilton

Or riding in a "just plain dumb" way. In your opinion. That's the key, right there: to you it seems dumb to even be there. To you it seems like if they insist on being there, they're doing it wrong. To you it seems like there is no point. The salient fact is, these things are not as they appear to you to be.

Originally Posted by spunkyj

.....I think you've set up a straw man in your post; road biking is not a sport that occurs exclusively (or even mostly) on busy, high speed, and dangerous roads/highways. Therefore, your entire premise for not understanding it is false.

There are many bike routes including secluded country roads, highways with very well maintained and wide shoulders, and MUPs that are not as your describe, again demonstrating the fallacy of your premise. If you bought a road bike and insisted on riding it EXCLUSIVELY in busy traffic then it might indeed be "impractical" or risky. OP, do you seriously think dancing with fast cars is a requirement or objective of road cycling? I would guess not, which makes your above post a tad dishonest and inflammatory IMO. But if not, then you have your answer: there are many low-traffic, and safe routes to cycle on where you can enjoy the speed, endurance, scenery, miles, etc. on a road bike. So, what's not to like?!

Originally Posted by spunkyj

The problem here is that you were not honest in the intention of your post, and that will get people riled up. You were not posting about "not getting" road cycling as a sport. Instead, what you "don't get" is why some road cyclists, some of the time, choose to ride with busy traffic when you perceive it to be reckless. The answer to THAT question is: Sometimes it is the only way from A to B (with A and B representing safer paths which make up the longer part of a route). There is always some risk, but if a cyclist follows the rules of the road, pays attention, and is visible, the risk is not so high as to outweigh the benefits IMO. Compared to other sports, which all carry risk, I don't believe road cycling to be any more dangerous......

Originally Posted by pablosnazzy

......because it's fun. you might not think it's fun, you might not understand why it's fun, but it is.....
.....that's why they are doing it.

Originally Posted by DX-MAN

.....The fact that people were erratically swerving everywhere is a CONDEMNATION of the DRIVERS, not the RIDERS; NOWHERE IN THE COUNTRY can drivers just blindly bull along without regard for what else is out there. As long as that road does NOT have a sign saying "NO BIKES ALLOWED", it's fair game for a ride. As was pointed out early on, maybe that's the only way from A to B for these riders; who knows......
......It's just one of the wonderful things about this country; we get to choose the recreation that, within the limits of law, gives us the most enjoyment. You're being a bit of a nanny here, pal, and I usually either slap nannies or schtup them (j/k....)

Originally Posted by samburger

I mean if you think it's stupid then that's fine, we're all entitled to our opinions. But what they're doing is perfectly legal, so I guess I'm just not seeing what the problem is. The same argument could be made for runners, skateboarders, longboarders, really any sport that can be performed on the road. But I guess anyone who enjoys a dangerous sport that you don't is any idiot.

Originally Posted by samburger

....It's impossible to predict exactly how a motorist will react to what you do on the road, but with skill & experience it isn't hard to make an educated guess. It's the exact same with driving...how do you know that a driver won't pull out on front of you from a side street when you're driving down the highway at 60mph? You don't, but experience teaches you signs to look for that help you determine how much of a risk that person is. It's no different with road biking.

Originally Posted by pablosnazzy

.......the guys riding "Crazy" in traffic seem crazy to you, but to them, they know what they are doing.

.....MadMechanic, the guys you talk about might seem crazy to you, but they apparently know what they are doing.