Skipjacks

The weather here today is the apocalypse. That's the best way to describe it. It hasn't been above 20 degrees in a week. Today there are 50 mph winds and snow blowing sideways creating random white out conditions. Walking the 100 feet from my car to my office door felt like a trip up Mt Everest.

So a guy in my office who's a comfortable 5'6" 275 pops his head in my office this morning and says "Oh no bike today? Thought you were dedicated." All in the most sarcastic judgmental voice imaginable.

Like, really? The last bike this guy got on probably collapsed. He's personally raising the health insurance rates in the office for everyone else. And he's giving me grief about not riding in this slop?

Anyone else work with morons who feel the need to give you comentary?

mcours2006

Meh. You got to be a bit more thick-skinned than that. Some people just say stuff just to get reaction. This dude is probably trying to get you going.

Skipjacks

This guy's just a jerk. He's got a low self image and rather than trying to do anything to improve his life he wants to bring everyone else down to his misery level. It's a classic example.

My skin is thick enough. If he really got to me I could have made him cry with commentary about this unhealthy lifestyle. But I don't. I let it slide and go about my business.

acidfast7

Nah, a lot of my colleagues ride/walk/run into work.

We also all have the same health insurance nationwide, more or less, so the premiums aren't an issue.

I just wouldn't respond and let him her talk to aloud to the themself until they got the hint.

edit: Also, I like that you employ BF in the same role that I do

Skipjacks

You mean to complain to the forum as a pressure valve instead of berating the office tub o' lard until he does 1 sit up?

Yeah. You guys are therapeutic as I can discuss feelings and reactions with you. This guy only speaks donut.



Mmmmmmm....dooonnnuuutts.......

acidfast7

I like the internet to decompress from all of the poop that I deal with. Thankfully, I haven't been into work since 14 DEC. Will start next Monday ... but am going through 3 weeks of emails and marking papers :/

I agree about the donut. I would usually have a witty reply ready but the brits hate it when you won't banter so the silent treatment has some legs. Especially, when someone directly address you and you absolute ignore them in front of their other colleagues. Or even respond to others but not them directly. That usually sets them off.

StarBiker

Ignore.
You could have said if I wanted to listen to an ******* I would have farted.

Darth Lefty 

Why do you think he's approaching you at all? Do you work with him a lot or is he more or less a stranger in another department? If he speaks to you that freely he probably feels he knows you well enough and you're equals. Do you think he knows you think it's dickish or is he just joking and bad at judging how he comes off?

I have one coworker who speaks like he's the worst heathen in the world but his actions are conscientious to his employer and his family. I usually expect the opposite which kept me from enjoying him as a friend for a while until I figured him out.

acidfast7

That's a good point. Perhaps he was having a bad day as well?

Hypno Toad

Yeppers!

I live in Minnesota, so the conditions here for winter bike-commuting are much colder/harsher; but we have the gear to deal with it. So, I'm not trying to brag about cold riding...

A few years ago we had air temps around -20F with 20+ mph winds (-45F windchills); I opted to drive that day. A biking buddy texts me to ask if I biked to work, I responded "Nope, I'm just a fair weather biker". Feel free to use that line if any other morons make comments.

tclune

I used to work for a complete jerk -- and I was self-employed. So count your blessings.

Hypno Toad

davei1980

1. You're correct, you work with a moron but maybe

2. he's insecure and jealous of you so he feels the need to point it out when you don't ride? also

3. I, personally, reject "purists" who think you're not a "real" cyclist or whatever if you don't ride everyday. To me, commuting is about having fun and staying healthy. If you can't have fun and be safe then that's YOUR call, no one else's. No shame in not riding on ANY day you see fit for ANY reason.

acidfast7

I agree.

Leisesturm

Your contempt for your co-worker is pretty clear, to us. The posters with a more nuanced response (like Darth Lefty) have it right. The co-worker was not being a jerk. That is the exact response I would expect if I failed to ride on some bad weather day. And I would laugh it off. I am the ONLY cyclist where I work, and giving me stuff about riding in bad weather (which I do) is par for the course. When I don't ride for some reason (any reason) it is also an occasion for comment. Your co-worker obviously is unaware of how much you despise his lack of physical fitness. Good. There is hope for you yet. Why not try to steer him towards better health practices over your next several interactions. It may come to nothing. You tried. But as for this present bit of pique that you are experiencing. That's you. All you. Peace.

wphamilton

My first thought also, he may have just been making talk, in his mind joking. When you ride in all weather, or in most of it, you often get this on the more extreme days. Did you ride in today? Wasn't it cold/wet/what-have-you? How far in this weather? And sometimes something about dedication. It all means the same, however they phrase it, and this guy might just have an awkward way of putting things.

I have a co-worker who likes to razz sometimes. He was fond of saying "he'll probably outlive us all, unless a truck runs over him" until my comeback "I probably already have" (I'm late 50's). But I take it in good nature, which is mostly the spirit in which it's intended.

RubeRad

I'm fortunate to be in a pretty cycling-tolerant environment here in SoCal. Around my work, I frequently get surprise for 'you even rode TODAY?', or offers to drive me and my bike home due to rain or darkness or alcohol etc, but I've never been razzed for not riding.

Skipjacks

Wow. That is truly amazing.

From a text version of 1 side of a conversation between 2 people you've never met you are able to determine, mood, tone, and intent of the other party.

Those are some fine skills there. I hope you use this completely genuine (and totally not made up horse slop) power of yours for good instead of evil.

Are you really THIS pretentious that you think you have an ability to judge the tone of a conversation between 2 people you've never met by reading a partial text transcript of one conversation? And then do you really think you're such a superior being that we should all be impress with your judgmental holier than thou response?

Does that "You can smell my superiority" attitude work with the ladies?

Skipjacks

Most of my co workers are cool. They'll offer to drive me home if it's 100 degrees or if it's suddenly an unexpected monsoon at quitting time or something.

I don't care what happens to me going home though. There's a shower and clean clothes waiting for me when I get there.

canuckjgc

Relax, sounds like a bad attempt at humor to me.

snow_echo_NY

i tend to agree with @wphamilton and @canuckjgc - it may have sounded "jackass" to you, but it probably was just more elbowing more than anything. i usually remark in similar fashion back and we have a good laugh. i like to be hardcore about biking but i know it tends to be a little "out there" for everyone else who doesn't know that biking is the best thing ever. just try to take it in stride and make a smartass comment back. no harm, just friendly jousting/flexing/heckling.

i also think this is more "men culture" and prevalent in sports when i speak to men. i almost never hear this from fellow women.

Skipjacks

Were you there?

Do you know this person in my story?

Since the answer to both questions is 'no' why would you presume to know his intent?

I'm the only person in this thread who know the person I'm talking about. Therefor I'm the best authority in the thread on what his intent was. I've known the dude for 8 years. He's always being an obnoxious prick.

If it was friendly ribbing (It's ribbing, not elbowing) by the 50 some odd other people in my office who aren't 24/7 jerks I wouldn't have cared enough to mention it here.

snow_echo_NY

yikes @Skipjacks, alright backing off to let you stew in your anger and rant about it -

and rant specifically about how he's heavy and how that's a personal offense to you. kinda distasteful if you ask me to go off on him about that, in a forum he can't see. especially about someone you've known for 8 years. but whatever! not judging - don't bite!

and if all you're proclaiming to say is true, then the title in your post should be "jackass" not "moron" - he's obviously not slow.

Skipjacks

He's not slow. He's one of the smartest people I know. He's just got the social grace and personality of a garden slug.

Also it seems like it would be a lot more distasteful for my to unload all this to his face and make him cry than it is to make a minor complaint to you strangers who can't possible connect with this person, thus giving me a small outlet while preserving this guy's mental state.

ksryder

I'll take OP's side -- the conversation, on its face, isn't that bad. But we're talking about working for years with a person and all the annoyances and frustrations and resentment that can build up over that time which can transform a seemingly innocuous exchange into "GET CANCER AND DIE" territory.

Also if you can't b*tch on the internet then what's even the point.