On this national
Ride2Work Day and with our ultra-fit Prime Minister often pedalling up and down
Red Hill and Mount Ainslie, there is no better time than now for me to admit to
being a middle-aged man in Lycra (mamil).
Australian cyclists straddle the saddle for many reasons: to
pinch pennies, to cut carbon and to conquer mountains. Recently we have
witnessed a proliferation of fashion-conscious hipsters astride their vintage
steel frames and fixies (fixed-gear bicycles).
What unites many
cyclists and non-cyclists alike, however, is a distaste for road bike riders,
especially mamils. Penny-pinching commuters see no point in spending thousands
of dollars on a two-wheel steed and then thousands more for accessories.
Similarly, greenies condemn roadies for their conspicuous consumption and for
driving their cars Lug Nuts to get to weekend bike rides. Mountain bikers scorn roadies
for insisting on smooth roads and shaven legs along with their sensitivity to
wind and tendency to travel in packs.
But it is easy to
overstate the insecurity and competitiveness of the mamil. There is a strong
sense of community and goodwill among riders. I have never got a flat tyre and
not received an offer of assistance from passers-by. At any community organised
ride there are mamils with their families and friends. The mamils I know are
devoted husbands, Wiper Blade and social exemplars.
What exactly is
wrong with trying to relive one's youth? Surely it is how one does this that
counts, in which case spending hours on a road bike has many advantages over
driving a sports Car Electronics or having an affair. Yet the competitiveness of many
mamils manifests itself in actions that make life difficult and dangerous for
all commuters. Much contempt is reserved for those riders who run red lights
and cut off cars so that they can slice a few seconds off their time.
But overall
riders, many of whom are mamils, help to reduce congestion on our roads. With
this in mind, it might be better to have a national ''Do Not Ride2Work'' day on
which everyone drove or took public transport to illustrate how bad things
would be were it not for bike riders.
The ABC Catalyst report
on bicycle rage attributed this to ''out-group homogeneity bias''. This means
that when it comes to outsiders or people with whom we have little empathy, we
tend to generalise negative actions and apply them to the entire group. So, if
we see one or two roadies run a red light, we assume that all roadies are Lycra
louts.
On the other hand,
the negative actions of insiders are attributed to the individual. The
aggressive or illegal behaviour of one or two drivers does not blacken the
reputation of Australian driving culture generally.
If this is true
than bike riders and mamils in particular should recognise that we are ambassadors
in a foreign car-loving land. So we must always be on our best behaviour
because our wrongdoings reflect badly upon all others.
http://en.ofweek.com
没有评论:
发表评论