cthenn

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...rld-of-cycling

"Road cycling has become the orthodoxy. Tedious, competitive, sports cycling has taken over. Cycling has become the new golf. It’s what men of a certain age, men with money and power, chat about after meetings.

The focus has moved to sportives, to carbon fibre frames, to Rapha Sky-branded kits, to gels, training techniques, times, pace and cadence. The aspiration is no longer to get lost, to enjoy and to explore: the aspiration is to do stages of the Tour, watch races, spend more money, own the best stuff, be the quickest.

So pervasive is this trend that it seems to be sucking the life out of other parts of cycling. It’s hard to find the hippies and the explorers any more. It’s all about the competition and the conformity.
"

It's an interesting article. Most of the time I ride solo, so I'm probably somewhat insulated from the "seek and destroy, all hammerfest, all the time" mindset described in this article. The big change I've noticed from myself is when I got a power meter. When I ride that bike, I am most definitely a slave to the numbers. "Gotta do XXX watts today, gotta do 5 minute intervals at XXX watts, recovery today, make sure not to go over XXX watts", and so on. When I'm on any of my other bikes, and blind to power numbers, I find it easier to relax and just enjoy the ride. That's why I spend equal amounts of time on all my bikes! But yes, I think there is something to be said for cycling having changed to a more competitive "must get stronger" mindset, even when riding alone. I wonder if it's even more the case for club and other group rides.

69chevy

Ummm. Just because there are apps to track cyclists and we all have technology that makes meeting up easier doesn't mean this is new, it just means it much more visible.


Just because someone isn't wearing flip-flops and smiling doesn't mean they aren't enjoying themselves.

Maelochs

Some guy needed to write x,000 words by Friday to get his editor off his back.

Exaggeration to make a point which he mostly made up ... take a few trends, make them important, pretend they are universal, and then feel superior for condemning them.

One change I have made---I stopped using a computer and now use my ophone, because the screen shuts off.

I noticed on night rides, when it was tough to see the screen, I didn't bother.

But just a Few times, on a daylight ride, I caught myself pushing harder to make a number. I realized that I liked the freedom of not knowing unless I really wanted to, and lacked the discipline not to just glance down.

Now I have to swipe the screen to turn it on, so i don't ever do it accidentally.

And I like it better.

Your mileage will vary.

Seattle Forrest

Last weekend I drove 500 miles to ride a 50 mile loop through the scablands. This weekend I'm hoping to get out to a canyon on the eastern slope of the Cascades. I love doing long rides through fantastic (or at least unique) scenery.

FlashBazbo

If anything, the author is five years late. The booming popularity of gravel and adventure biking and bikepacking has moved things decisively in a different direction.

One of the great things about cycling is that you can do it however you want -- and there's probably someone out there who will do it with you.

cthenn

I didn't say it isn't fun to suffer, or work hard to get stronger, or to wear a spiffy matching hot pink kit, I'm just wondering if cycling is more about that now then it used to be. You're right that technology has certainly changed the way people look at, analyze, and compare ride data. Whether that makes people now more about the data than about simple enjoyment, that's what I'm wondering...

cthenn

Well this is in the Guardian. Ol Froome boy and Sir Wiggo "Jiffy Bag Man" have done to cycling what Lance did for the US 15 years ago. So maybe in the UK, they are a bit behind.

cthenn

You have described every type of media and news story!

WhyFi

I can't speak to a lot of it, but I don't think that cycling is anywhere close to being analogous to golf. I think that Tiger's first go-round provided a boom for golf across wide socio-economic swaths, but I think that's faded quite a bit and it's now back being primarily the playground of the well-to-do, much more so than cycling. There's also the "business meeting" side of golf - do people regularly negotiate in pacelines?

Scarbo

I kind of agree with this article. My dad used to tell me that cycling used to be the domain of the nerd and now, I am seeing that it is anything but--in general terms. Cycling seems to be the favored pastime of the old, rich, aficionados. After I left off racing I have gravitated toward more gravel cycling and the vibe is much better--more accepting and comfortable. Also, I am mixing it up with more young people who use bikes in more utilitarian ways. I still hammer on my CF bike; I enjoy the intensity, still. The key is not taking yourself too seriously.

johnnyace 

I still know plenty of freaks, geeks, hippies, madmen, adventurers, etc., that are avid cyclists. I don't personally know any cyclists that speak in "watts" and "Strava," and such, but I'm sure they're out there. But then, I live in Oregon, not far from Portland, where we have a massively attended annual Naked Bike Ride, and a weekly hill-bomb at the Oregon Zoo, etc.

I guess it's all a matter of what you pay attention to. As a young man, I road raced; now I'm more concerned with touring, commuting, and the simple, sheer joy of cycling, rather than competition.

Scarbo

But they abound, here, on BF!

I really get a kick out of a bunch of old farts sitting around talking about watts and "power!" Give it a break, already. "Serious" cycling where such discussions have the most actual legitimacy are the purview of the young (20s/early 30s) riders who have a credible chance of progressing to the professional ranks. I'm sure a ****storm will now ensue.

mcours2006

Cycling is just a means to an end for me--getting to work and home again, getting some exercise. The article overgeneralizes to make a point. Yeah, most of the time I'm clad in spandex, but only because I don't like to sweat in street clothes. And yeah, I like better equipment because it makes it a more pleasant experience. Don't really care about numbers.

indyfabz

Not this blog piece again.

FBinNY 

There's quite a bit of truth to the article, but it's not universal.

There's been a sea change in the bicycling demographic.

Bicycling, including competitive cycling, used to be a blue collar sport. It wasn't chic or trendy and folks who took it up either did so because it was cheap transport, or because they were loners who were attracted to it for various reasons.

While the chic, trendy, socially active, and well heeled folks took up sports like skiing, tennis, and golf, the rest of rode our bikes alone or with a few like minded friends.

Over the last (more than a) few years, bicycling has become trendy, and the chic have moved from their old favorites to the bike, but brought their same socially competitive attitudes with them. So now they ride the same way they golfed, skied or played tennis, dressing for the part, and tying to keep up with their social circle.

BUT

That's only part of the story. First of all, the old crowd never went away, and there's a new entirely different segment, including the environmentally conscious who ride because "it's a good thing to do".

So, it's a big tent, and thankfully there's room for everybody. The only glitch is that the industry is adapting to the wants of the old ski crowd, for the simple reason that it's where the money is.

johnnyace 

I'm sure they do, but I don't really read or follow racing-related threads, just C&V and touring stuff.

Scarbo

C&V is the sanest place here IMHO.

johnnyace 

True, dat.

HTupolev

What makes these two things exclusive?

The whole argument seems to arise from this ridiculous assumption that if a lycra-clad person is suffering and only giving out mini-waves, then they're not having a blast.

TheLibrarian

Those segments of the cycling population exist but there are still plenty of poor kids in Philly riding junkers with ape hangers for transportation. I always want to get the new stuff but i don't. Maybe next year I'll get a bonafide mtn bike and I'm just starting to want a road bike for the first time ever. I need to step up my golf game. Upset i didn't do any skiing this year and rarely find time and partners for tennis. I generally talk about where i ride and what kind of trails i ride and of course what bike i got. It is usually with other middle aged white men. I'm all about doing some segments of a tour, 2 multiday's loosely planned and dreams of riding along the Seinne some day in Europe. Strictly mtn bike shorts though and not even that just regular clothes.

Seattle Forrest

Power meters are just a tool. One reason people use them is to try to join the professional cycling ranks, but that's just one out of many. I know a guy who bought one to lose weight because his HRM couldn't ballpark how many calories he was burning on long rides. He said it's not any more expensive than other diet plans he'd tried. I use mine mostly to pace myself, level the hills because I tend to get a little too spirited and carried away, and then regret it 40 miles later.

Ogsarg

Another guy whining about the good old days....

Of course there are a certain number of cyclists that have to have the latest and greatest and most expensive gear, just as there was back in the imaginary old days.

And there are still people who are cycling for the adventure, enjoyment, or whatever it is the author is longing for. There are more cyclists now, so naturally you will see more of all types. Some are just more obvious than others.

Does it really matter to you what aspects of cycling that people are attracted to? There are plenty of roads and bike paths for everyone.

Carbonfiberboy 

The slant in the article misses the point. I'm frigging 71 years old, am below the average cyclist in genetics, and yet I can still ride a relatively fast double century. Even walking normally at my age was almost unheard of 30 years ago. How? Because I've trained consistently since I was 50 and watch what I eat.

I'm a prime example of what the author is talking about, except that I'm poor, not rich. My good bikes and skis are free cast-offs. Our big bike purchase was a second-hand steel tandem. My wife and I each buy one pair of shorts/year. I do group rides every weekend. Most of the participants are over 40, but mostly they are not well-to-do. Though I suppose we're all rich as hell in 3rd world terms.

I had a doctor who said that we, the active cyclists and runners, are remaking what it means to age. He said we'll be so studied in the future, well now too, to figure out how we managed to stay healthy and young-appearing (except for hair and face) for so long. This is what it's all about. Results matter. If you train, you'll get results and rewards all your life. And training is going to involve HRMs, decent bikes, PMs, comfortable bike-specific clothing, etc.

Competitive? Sure, everyone's competitive. Watch any group ride hit a hill and you'll see it. But what's everyone's advice on how to get faster? Join a group that's faster than you are. Is that good? Yes, because that forces you to train, and training is the key to a healthy life. I've heard a racer say that the only reason he races is because that forces him to train. It's the same with long-time group ride participants.

When I got too old to stay on the front of the ride as the olders retired and youngers came in, I bought a tandem. Different challenge, like changing over to gravel or long-distance touring. It all does the same thing, keeps us healthy and active.

Non-cyclists look at my wife and I, who can do big mountain rides, go on 10-day unsupported backpacks, climb mountains, etc., marvel and think we're some kind of nuts or differently enabled. The truth is that it's just training, and the cycling that has enabled that training.

Anyway, that's the reason we see olders becoming a majority of cyclists out there. It's fear, plain and simple. All the rest is just associated trappings which can and should be ignored. Whatever it takes folks, but get out there and don't give up.

Looking at it in another way, what did we evolve to do? Work hard and long. Before horses, American women dragged the travois themselves or spent the day walking long distances, hauling water, digging and gathering. The men hunted on foot and could run with a deer on their shoulders. The group ride is nothing more than a modern version of the hunting party. We've always done this folks, and that's why it's so appealing. And it's about time we got back to it, even if it seems artificial. It's a good thing.

DXchulo

What a whiny *****. Ride how you want to ride. Who cares what everyone else is doing?

WhyFi

Wow - kudos. You're smack between my father and father-in-law in terms of age and, well, they're both starting to fall apart.