I think a certain amount of the snobbery comes to bear because it really is friggin hard to do what the really good cyclists do, especially on the tough hills, the long rides, and the crashes. And I’m not talking about the pro-quality guys—they’re just freaks of nature. I’m just talking about the tough, everyday riders you see around town and in the hills (like in the Santa Monica Mountains north of Malibu... tough rides!) Some of these people are amazing.
It takes some guts. As the completely disgraced Lance Armstrong nevertheless truthfully once said (paraphrased): “If you want to know what it feels like to crash on a bicycle when you’re racing, just take off everything but your skivvies, climb into the back of a car going 35 miles an hour, bind your ankles together so you can’t move them, and then jump out.”
Though I’m not a great rider, I do enjoy testing myself on very hard rides, and until I started this kind of cycling, I really didn’t realize how much it takes to get up the long, hard hills, and to stay in that saddle for a few hours at a time. But I’m a lone wolf, I don’t travel in packs... maybe cuz I don’t really care much for the snobbery part!
So yeah, I agree that there are many snobby cyclist types, and I don’t like them much, but every affinity group (cyclists, hunters, equestrians, sailors, tennis players, motorcyclists, etc) has their own special snobbery built into their endeavor.
Just my opinion... I’d say don’t be so hard on ‘em.
Thanks for the insight. Cyclists are a dangerous pain in the butt on many roads, but I can respect what you’re saying. I’m a lone wolf swimmer. Same thing, it’s friggin’ demanding so you understand the snobbery in the Masters teams.