Originally Posted by
on the path
Sometimes on group rides I'm feeling contented and I started to whistle....but then I catch myself. I'm afraid that whistling could be bad luck. Whistling on a boat is supposed to be bad luck. I'm not really superstitious, but maybe others in the group are.
Anyone care to comment on the possibility that whistling while cycling brings bad luck??
I don't go with the good/bad luck thing, but in the Ann Arbor Bicycle Choir I found that the demands on a singer's breath are multiplied when your pedaling a bike, as well as on mental attention. If you're trying to sing or whistle the right notes in tempo holding them as long as their supposed to be and making phrases and lines, you don't have much breath left for cycling. At the slow speed one (well, this one, at least) can go while singing, other issues arise such as bicycle balance. When you're in a group ride doing this, it becomes downright dangerous because you also need to be cognizant what the other singers are doing on their bicycles. Too much to think about! Neither singing nor cycling are fun in such a demanding situation.
So I wouldn't say whistling while biking is bad luck, but it can be difficult if you're trying to do both at a high level and are in significant traffic. But when the spirit moves you, no problem.