This is a conversation I've had a hundred times.

People who run long distances are, generally, admired by society--I think, due to the spartan, suffering, nature of the activity. There's something about that that people admire. Dunno why. Running sucks. Maybe that's why.

We cyclists, however, because of all of our fun toys, silly clothes, and the (possibly) great expense of our sport/hobby, are instead made fun of or looked down upon. Why? I think because we look like WE'RE HAVING TOO MUCH DAMNED FUN! People don't see the amount of effort we put in, the training, the suffering, they just see us cruising along, looking like brightly colored birds, taking up the road. Runners *look* like they're suffering; look like they're working hard; look serious. And for whatever Calvinist reason, people respect that.

And the reality is, we ARE having fun, even though distance riding is a lot of work and effort...and probably people are just jealous.