First let me tell you that I ride a Wal-Mart hybrid/mtn bike that I ride daily and with great passion. I have attended a few bike club sponsored rides in my area only to have "bike snobs" look down there nose at my Wal-Mart bike.
First of all, how do you know they are looking down on you? Do they actually come over and ridicule you, or do they talk behind your back?
What do you expect a seasoned road biker to say to you or act when he sees someone like you? Come over and compliment you on your bike? Slow down so you can catch up during the ride? Try to strike up a conversation with you even though you two have completely different tastes in cycling?
It's kind of like in college or univserity. On one side you have the Art students and the other you have the Engineering/Science students (simplifed scenerio). These two groups are both attending the same University, but in completely different fields.
What reaction would you expect if an arts student attended a tensile stress test labratory session or if a science student attended a discussion group about the far eastern philosphers of the 3rd century or something. (sorry, the above was the best analogy I could come up with).
I too get snobby sometimes, depends. This one time this dude hammered his way up the hill only to pass me only to puff when he got up to the plateu, so I dropped him on the flat and every climb after and didn't really bother trying to start a conversation with him.
Originally posted by wabbit
I think that attitude still exists- as if you just aren't as SERIOUS about it as a male cyclist. Yeah, I'd like to see them keep up with Genevieve Jeanson. It's sort of like that at the gym and I'm sure this has happened to other women. You'll be using a piece of equipment, doing your sets and some guy comes up and asks, "are you using that" or "Can I do a set", as if you aren't even there. It's like what you're doing just isn't as important as what they do, and you should stop doing your routine for them! I usually reply, "Yes, you can as soon as I am finished with my sets." Sometimes they actually get pissed off! Like how dare you! I should mention this doesn't happen every single time, but it's happened enough over the years. most guys at the gym are perfectly nice and fine.
Hey Wabbit,
What's wrong with asking if they can work in their sets with you? At my local gym, it can get pretty crowded sometimes and between sets you need half or a full minute to get the lactic acid flowing to get into your next set.
I too regularly get asked if it would be okay to have a set worked in between my rest periods. Sometimes it pisses me off cause the guy/gall takes the liberty of changing the weights, which takes forever for me to put back in... etc.
But most are quite ethical and since I have been there first doing my sets they will give me priority and will simply wait until I am finsihed if they want to change the weights. I assure, it is not a male/female thing.
And as for women on bikes... if there is a male out there that looks down on them then he has some serious issues. I'd ignore a super pro male cyclist over a women on wheels any day!
