The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cycling is no longer the forgotten sport
In the past when I was asked what I did for a living I would typically be met with blank stares, or the usual quip of “do you shave your legs?” However, if the other person was a cyclist I would usually find myself in an absorbing discussion along the lines of gear sizes, riding on flats or clipless pedals.
These chats were rare, however, and often I managed to contentedly hide myself in the kitchen at parties enjoying the canapés and avoiding any form of conversation.
Times have changed and it is now impossible to go anywhere without someone wanting to share their reasons why they think Chris Froome is a better rider than Bradley Wiggins, or discuss the tactics of Laura Trott in the Olympic Omnium.
I am right behind the success of our British cyclists; I was almost punching holes in the ceiling of our living room as I screamed at the TV in joy as Trott won her fourth gold medal.
But these accomplishments by our riders have completely changed the dynamic of my social interactions. No longer can I go to my barber and grunt a half-hearted “yes” or “no” to one-sided conversations about politics or the weather. My last visit required me to give my opinion on whether or not Jason Kenny should have been disqualified from the Olympic Keirin final.
It is quite incredible to think how the landscape of cycling has changed in just a few years.
People who once had no interest in cycling can now tell you the rules of a track points race, although author JK Rowling seems to still be struggling. During the Olympics she tweeted: “Don’t you DARE tell me Quidditch is hard to understand.”
Last week, when out for a ride on my 48x16 fixed gear bike I stopped at the top of a hill with a gradient of 20% to catch my breath.
A woman walking her dog passed and asked if I was tired. Replying that I was, I was about to explain I was on a single geared bike when she retorted: “You shouldn’t try to be like those Olympians, just ride a bike with gears.”
Firmly put in my place I rode off with a smile realising that cycling was no longer the forgotten sport supported by the minority.
It reminded me of someone years ago who told me, after seeing the new drop-barred racing bike I had just bought, that “No one rides bikes like that any more”.
Well, times have changed and judging by the excitement our Olympic cyclists have generated there will be a lot more people riding bikes “like that” in the future.