As the originator of this thread I've followed it with interest and amusement. Some folks understood exactly what I was saying, others didn't so much read it as read INTO it! I was not referring to an identity, persona or label; my post was not about being a cyclist or a biker or a bike rider. It was about the experience of cycling and how some of the words used by people who don't ride bikes seem inadequate to describe the quality of that experience.
I am not a "wanna-be racer boy" but it is true that I am a "has-been!" Now, at almost 67 and coming back from quadruple bypass surgery you might imagine the joy I feel to recapture the blissful experience that drew me to cycling and racing 45 or so years ago. A little over 2 years ago after surgery I could barely spin the pedals on a stationary bike with no resistance. I have become an evangelist of cycling for the heart disease crowd because cycling is really a perfect exercise for folks like myself. On foot, you basically have 3 speeds: walking, jogging or running. Physiologically and bio-mechanically those are very different. Cycling, on the other hand, offers the ability to ride at any speed from a walking effort to a flat-out sprint.
In my experience it takes time to reach a fitness level where longer distance cycling, whatever that might mean, is truly comfortable. For me it is on longer rides and higher sustained effort that the joy of cycling lives. It's not about the clothes or the bike, true, but a well-fitted and finely-tuned bicycle is a marvelous machine and many cyclists come to feel love and affection for these inanimate objects. I even coined a term: velosexual, for those that carry more affection for their bike than their partners!
When I decided to get back on the road I purchased what would now be called an "entry-level" road bike. I'd been riding mountain bike for years but I fell too often to make that safe after heart surgery. After the first two seasons of riding (Northern Minnesota has two seasons - winter and road construction) I treated myself to a Raleigh gravel bike: bigger tires, steel frame. It's not light, but it is a go-anywhere do-anything bike. As a Swede, my gravel bike reminds me of a Volvo - not the fanciest, fastest, cheapest but comfortable, safe and durable. There is a Swedish word that describes our culture as much as anything:lagom. It means something like "just right" - not too fancy, not too shabby - the middle ground I suppose. My gruscykel (gravel bike in Swedish) is lagom.
Finally, I have entered a "race" for the first time in over 30 years. It's called the Filthy Fifty - a gravel race near Rochester Minnesota. Gravel racing is a wonderful new development in cycling. These are unsupported, usually free to enter, open to anyone. You can race or just ride, it doesn't matter. You can wear jeans and a t-shirt (although I would not recommend that in October) or the usual jersey and shorts - no one cares. You ride on roads you would never normally see - hilly with little traffic, great scenery etc. There are 600 riders entered. My goal is first to finish and second to not finish last.
Thanks for reading and posting!