leaving work, drizzling and grey looking as we walk to the door…

coworker – “won’t you get wet?”
me – “yes, probably, but I’ve been wet before, I got over it”

I don’t understand the preoccupation people having with getting wet… clothes dry, towels work, and I’ll need a wash after riding home anyway so it makes no odds if I step into the shower wet or dry…

We have quite a few people who commute in by bike at work, but still plenty who seem content to sit in a car in traffic every day to travel less distance than me in a longer time, mad…

I don’t think anyone’s mentioned this one yet:

idiot: “You cycle all through the winter too?”
me: “Yes that’s what lights are for”. ( I daren’t even mention doing off-road stuff at night, that would freak them out)

Other ones:

‘Isn’t it dangerous?’
‘Are those special shoes just for cycling?’

My 6 mile commute along the canal takes me half an hour coming in. Going home take 40 minutes as there’s a flight of 16 locks to go up

On the way home you want to use the towpath at the side nbt, there’s no need to get wet cycling up through all those locks! Plus all that work with the windlass must be tiring…

Not at work but on holiday in Greece last year. Swimming around in the pool and it started to rain which caused panic and everyone got out of the water to go and shelter in the cafe. My 4 year old and me had the pool to purselves for about 30 minutes whilst all the others looked on like we were odd!

I particularly like stopping at a petrol station to get a drink while out on a ride in full roadie kit and helmet. 9 times out of 10 the server will ask “any petrol?” 🙄

The only cycling related “conversations” that I have over and over at work are those that involve people laughing at me for falling off. “Broken any bones lately?” that kind of thing 😆

Swimming in the rain is the best.

kona boy

i was in the pool in our work camp in nigeria – it started to rain

i continued swimming

the local staff member came and told me to get out the pool , its against health and safety regulations to swim in the pool when its raining……. work that out.

as soon as it stopped i was allowed back in.

Had most of the above but the best one was, during a discussion about Wiggo getting knocked off last year…

‘Tom, do you feel persecuted, as a cyclist?’
‘Eeerrrrmmm’

Also, from most people, ‘Why do you need more than one bike?’

😆 😆

Nope, just crap at riding uphill, at least at a reasonable speed

I visit many construction sites on by Brompton, PPE stuck in the bag at the front..

after piss taking for a while they just accept that that is how you are and that you can get across London quicker..

it takes less time for me to get to one site in Barking from Victoria than getting the tube and a cab

I’ve had the “can you recommend me a bike, I’m looking for something decent – as much as £150” conversation before. The same bloke then asked me how much my bike cost and I was going to make him guess, but gave up when he started going up from £100 in £10 intervals as it would have taken a while…

“your folding kids bike cost how much!!!!” from the guy who has a 6month old M5..

I’m one of the few who cycle to work here so am known as ‘the cyclist’. I’ve had most of these conversations but also who here has has to become a sports pundit from colleagues quizzing you about lance armstrong?

He really hurt the sport in the eyes of the general public. And I gave up trying to explain the culture difference between professional road & mtb

Still Wiggo & the lympics did a lot of good and I was quite happy to chat about that!

“I’m into cycling as well”
“Are you? That’s good”
“Yeh, I’ve seen Brendan Wiggins AND Chris Hoyle”
“Really, where did you see them?”
(looks at me as if I’m simple)
“On the telly. You know, in the Olympics”

Them: Did you ride in?
Me: yes, I do everyday from the station, but today rode all the way.
Them: How far is that?
Me: 36 miles
Them: silence, just a confused stare
Them: how long did that take?
Me: I dunno about 2 1/2 hours, there was a puncture to deal with
Them: silence, just a confused stare

Later in the day once I’ve clearly got changed into bike gear

Them: You’re not riding back home are you?
Me: Yes
Them: What? All the way?
Me: Yes
Them: How far is that?
Me: About the same as the way in 🙄
Them: Why?
Me: Why not?
Them: but why?
Me: Just because I can and I want to
Them: silence, just a confused stare

Try to do this once a week if I can in the lighter months, so have the same conversation each bloody week with the same flippin’ people.

Usually they also say something like ‘you’re mad, I’d be dead if I tried that’. Really want to say back that they’d probably be dead if they had a difficult poo and had to strain a bit hard, but haven’t….

…yet 😈

Edinburgh here, conversations aplenty along the (approximate!) lines of:-

Car driving colleague (CDC)”You cycle four miles, you must be mad”

ME “But you drive instead? Can I ask how long you sat (on your obese lazy hole) in traffic for to get in today? and how much petrol did you waste sitting at traffic lights/behind other lazy sods/sitting at the tram road works and compounding any health issues?

CCC “About 30-40+ minutes to do a 4-6 mile commute to city centre, and the same home”

ME “I left my house at 8am and was sitting at my desk, changed and logged on at 8.30am, awake, feeling good and ready to go, and if I leave at 5pm I’d be home about quarter past when you’ll still be in the city centre in traffic with all your decomposing mates in their airconditioned cars, alone, listening to drive time and bleating about cyclists being “mad”…- but who’s really mad here, huh!?”

Constantly get this in work, and in our estate.

“Why dont you drive in?”
“Because I like to cycle, and save myself time from sitting in traffic.”

“Why dont you borrow my car?”
“Because I like to cycle”

“Why dont you get the train?”
“Because I like to cycle”

“Why dont you get a lift with Joe Bloggs?”
“BECAUSE I LIKE TO CYCLE!!!!”

Also get the “HOW MUCH??”‘s, and when I tell people I’m riding from Edinburgh to London for charity, they can barely summon a response.

All fun and games 🙂

This actual morning:

Me: morning.
Colleague: morning, is your car broke?
Me: no, I like to cycle in as much as I can.
Colleague: how far is it?
Me: 15 miles give or takes.
Colleague: that’s some going riding 7.5 miles into work in this wind.
Me: 15 miles each way.
Colleague: ????****?

ME “I left my house at 8am and was sitting at my desk, changed and logged on at 8.30am, awake, feeling good and ready to go, and if I leave at 5pm I’d be home about quarter past when you’ll still be in the city centre in traffic with all your decomposing mates in their airconditioned cars, alone, listening to drive time and bleating about cyclists being “mad”…- but who’s really mad here, huh!?”

After that rant, I’m pretty sure it’s you.

Thankfully in my office a there are a few people who cycle, and a couple who race. People realise we do this for fun, and don’t really question it. To be honest, most think it’s good that we do.

coworker – “won’t you get wet?”

No more so than in the shower.

The same bloke then asked me how much my bike cost and I was going to make him guess, but gave up when he started going up from £100

Well, that just about covers the lock…

similar thing for me….
“you rode in that weather?”
“yeah its good fun”
“why dont you drive in?”
“wife uses it on the school run”
“well what’s wrong with the bus?”
“they’re full of weirdos, they always smell and never run on time”
“but is it not easier than cycling in?”
“no because it takes the car 40 minutes door to door either way, the bus up to an hour….on the bike it takes half an hour”
“what? how far away do you live?”
“6 miles”
“are you not scared of getting knocked off your bike by a car or bus”
“duh!…that can happen crossing the road so whats the difference?”
“you must have one of those fast road bikes”
“no its a full suspension bike with heavy duty wheels, monster brakes, massive suspension travel and big fat knobbly tyres…”
“how much does something like that cost”
“£x amount…”
“whaaaat?!?…you could buy a car for that…”
“i already have a car but prefer to ride the bike….its more fun…you should try it yourself”
“you must be superfit and super crazy”
“and your point is…?”

since these conversations started with various colleagues on a regular basis…two more have now started to do the same and a few more are thinking about it……call me crazy..!!

them: “Do you shave your legs?”
me: “Yes, my wife likes it” (I don’t BTW)

them: “Do you take drugs”
me: “Yes, but only for fun, and they don’t help much with the cycling”

Ah, the smug cyclist.

😆

^^^^hahahahaha!!

I’ve just been out for a spin at lunchtime, as its not a bad day. I’m lucky enough to have some great local trails. The idea that i would do this, on top of the commuting miles, seems to bring out a look of pitying incomprehension in my workmates

Well, actually…. that may be the daft muddy, sweaty, giddy grinning state I tend to come back in. What can I say. Simple things make me happy 😀

This morning
Member of Staff:Did you get wet this morning
(its absolutely torrential outside)
Me: Yes..its only watter( i’m a yorkshireman)
MoS: How are you going to get dry?
( we have 2x 7.0m powder coating ovens running at 200’c)
Me: Not sure!!!!!

People always commenting on this with me too, it’s 8 miles takes about 25mins its not the equivalent of a marathon.

Somone recently asked me if I was going for a run when leaving in my cycling gear, with my SPDs, helmet, glasses and gloves on, they’re obviously a keen runner…

I would have had to respond with “Obviously you’re not a golfer”

Stupid girl I share a room with: did you run in again?
Me ( sweaty and in shorts) looks down….ermmmm

Somone recently asked me if I was going for a run when leaving in my cycling gear, with my SPDs, helmet, glasses and gloves on, they’re obviously a keen runner…

i quite seriously got “are you going skiing?”

yes, southampton well known for it’s pistes. 😆

I’ve just been out for a spin at lunchtim

where do you get your lunchtime fix binners?

where do you get your lunchtime fix binners?

Greggs’ 😉

I’m in Royton Donk so I can have a blat up through the woods to the mast.

Via Greggs, obviously 😉

Golfing friends on our usual Saturday morning round: “What are you up to this afternoon?

Me: “Out on the bike this afternoon”

Them:”REALLY? after 18 holes? going far?”

Me: “not really, 30 miles or so”

Them: ?!?

To them 18 holes of golf is their weekly exercise, and they need a well earned rest after it!

I’m in Royton Donk so I can have a blat up through the woods to the mast.

ah right, for some reason thought you worked more manchester way. STW time, lunchtime riding opportunities and some of the finest local eateries, sounds a nice gig 🙂

I am usually the first or 2nd in in the day I ride in; So one morning I arrive at work to find our male and gay Chief Exec and a number of colleagues on the sofa in the reception area it’s around 8.30 and the converstion goes like this as I come up the stairs in my lycra…

Chief E: OOHHH I say look at that! (in reference to my tight fitting outfit)
Me: Yeah eh…Thanks.
Chief E: No, I insist THANK YOU! to gales of laughter…

I work in an arts organisation, it’s to be expected…

Didn’t you give them a twirl and cock one leg?

Getting changed in the changing rooms at work the other day:
Cocky, Obnoxious co worker that nobody really likes upon seeing me walk in wearing my Lycra gear:
Here he is, Bradly wiggins ha ha. You do know you look a right tw*t dressed like that?
Me:
You may think so but the thing is I can get changed out of these, you’ll always shop at jacomo.
The sniggering from the rest of the lads pissed him right off 😀

FTFY 😉