I see a significant number of spandex-clad mountain-bike riders on sidewalks in my city, riding to and from the trailheads, sometimes wearing their team jerseys. There are far more spandex-clad road-bike riders on the roadways, but it seems that most of the time I see a spandex-clad mountain biker on a public highway right of way, he's on the sidewalk, often riding contra-flow.

I have spoken to some avid mountain bikers who are not road cyclists, and they have said that they are afraid of traffic.

On the other hand, the road cyclists I know who also mountain bike tend to ride to the trailheads on the roadway. They appreciate trails, but when traveling on public highway corridors, they prefer to use the roadway.

I do both mountain biking and road cycling, in spandex, but no team affiliations. I am generally much more afraid of falling on my mountain bike when riding over roots and logs than I am afraid of traffic on the way to and from the local trails. I think it comes down to practice and experience to become comfortable with one or the other.

What concerns me is that this particular writer isn't just afraid of traffic himself, but he wants other cyclists to give up riding on the roads. This is the type of mindset that promotes designating sidewalks as bike paths, combined with mandatory sidepath-use laws.