I suspect this won't go down well with many......

dieselengine

Please excuse the outburst, but I need to get this off my chest. I am unable to suppress this any longer.

The rennaissance of cycling is a very positive thing, but the evangelism of many new bikies (not all I am sure, but so-called celebrities and sports people changing sport seem particularly vocal) has been getting on my wick for a year or 2 now, and I can no longer remain silent.

Are they as damnably irritating as a reformed/ex-smoker? No, they are even worse.

The article in this month's Cycling Plus has proven too much. Gary bleedin' Kemp! Sorry Gary, it's not just you, this has been brewing for a while, but the article including how "he loves the sport", having only participated for 4 years, has pushed me over the edge. He follows the irritating footsteps of Davina McCall, James Cracknell, Laurence Dallaglio, Lee Dixon and numerous others. Because of their privileged positions they have the opportunity to spout off about their "new love" that is cycling. There are other mere mortals who also use forums to do the same.

Therefore, to achieve some balance, I am going to express my views.

I, like thousands of others, have ridden bikes since I was 5 or 6 (apart from 3 years after I learned to drive aged 17). I am now in my mid 40s. Many of us, me included, are club cyclists. We discovered the unending joys of cycling (which includes times of great suffering), and the beautiful brutality of the sport, years ago, and it is woven into who we are and the lives we lead.

The fact that many new cyclists have missed out on this joy, or spurned it as being too "alternative" is their loss, but there are many of us who recognised the wonder of biking long, long ago. We grew into this past-time/sport in an organic way from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. We have made mistakes aplenty, and suffered as a result, but this is part of the joy. It is a rite of passage. Many of us were guided/encouraged in the passion we love by similar souls to us, and many have returned that guidance/encouragement as we have grown.

It is pleasing to see others discovering the same passion that we have enjoyed for decades, and I do hope they derive the same pleasure from their biking as I have/do from mine.

But please, whilst we are delighted to welcome you to our ranks, please spare us the pseudo bikie claptrap of how you love this sport/activity. You may well do, but if you are a late arrival to our party, please think twice before you mark yourself as a "johnny-come-lately" cycling evangelist ****hole!

Remember, there are thousands of us who have been quietly loving the biking life for years. We don't want or need to hear your preachings. We were converted long, long ago.



I'll get me coat......

Vesterberg

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

Ben6899

Lighten up. For f*cks sake, lighten up.

Keith1983

All I can say mate is that I am very jealous. If someone enjoying something that I also enjoy was the biggest challenge I was facing in my life I would be pretty chuffed!

ddraver

Vesterberg wrote:

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

Beat me to it!!

pauldavid

Who is this dieselengine bloke who's spouting off. :x

I've loved cycling much longer than you, you jonny come lately.

I wish you'd pipe down I'm trying to concentrate on my fave celeb cyclists and what their upto. :shock:

We were here first so jog on

griffsters

I read the Gary Kemp article a little earlier so its still fresh in my mind. I kind of see where you are coming from but tbh it reads like you are after some recognition for doing something you enjoy for a long time? In doing so it seems you think that those who haven't been cycling for a long time are somehow not worthy, how bizarre. I may have that wrong but its how it reads to me.

Here is how I got into road cycling, spanning approx 20 years:

Footballer
Eater, sitter in front of telly and father (=obesity)
Golfer
Runner
Mountain biker
Road cyclist

It took a while for me to get around to trying cycling! I do love it tho and have caught the bug, albeit later in life.

I'm happy for you seriously but I'm not sure why it angers you so much when others take it up later in life.

u05harrisb

if it helps i started cycling at 16 damn love it and have just turned 18 this month, following in the foot steps

pauldavid

u05harrisb wrote:

if it helps i started cycling at 16 damn love it and have just turned 18 this month, following in the foot steps

Sssshhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Don't let dieselengine find out you've only been at it 2 years, he'll go mad.

jim453

Well, at least the title's accurate.

izzy Eviel

Is the OP an hipster by any chance?

Cleat Eastwood

Vesterberg wrote:

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

I was into vesterbergs posts in 2010, now everyones reading his posts....I....I....I just feel so let down.

EKIMIKE

All this 'beautiful brutality of the sport' and 'suffering' business makes me laugh. How about just ride your bike?

Human exertion isn't something exclusive to sport, let alone cycling. I agree having a good old slog is great fun but turning it into some poetic w@nk, super-natural experience is just lame. Just makes you sound like a hippy really, and no-one like's hippy's.

Holyzeus

What a ***** the OP is, no ones allowed to start doing "your" sport :roll:

rolf_f

Ahhh, but look at the OPs posting. He's been a member since 2007 and not even made 60 posts.

Now that does mean those of us who have come to this forum more recently are indeed a bit Johnny come lately.

On the other hand, some of us have (thankfully) managed a more useful post count. I expect it is the same with the OPs cycling. He has been riding for 40 years but only done 52 miles in that 40 years

EKIMIKE

Rolf F wrote:

He has been riding for 40 years but only done 52 miles in that 40 years

A hard motherf**ker if ever there was one. Brutal.

STEFANOS4784

Glad you've led such a perfect life, good for you

PS, I'm a smoker, never driven in my life. Stop bein a lazy pathetic tw@t and excuse that you 'have to'

Pross

Pah, only 50 odd posts can't stand forum newbies coming along posting on this site. I got here first >:-(

deptfordmarmoset

I'm one of those who's simply happy to see more and more cyclists on the roads - I'm an old feck and I saw bikes almost literally driven off London streets in the 80s and 90s. It's actually far better now than it was 20 years ago.

If it means having to avoid articles by minor celebs, so be it. The fact that the press is happy to have cycling advocates who their readership have heard of looks like a positive sign to me. As is the increasing awareness of recent British cycling successes. Who's suffering in the end?

mr_poll

How long do I have to be cycling for before I can have opinion on this sport and tell people how much I like it?

STEFANOS4784

Uh-oh, I suspect OP is sat their laughing at us all now :oops:
































Still a tw@ though

daviesee

Ha!
Only in your mid forties? Newbie!

Where does that leave your point know?

I was enjoying cycling years before you and you come on here and pontificate to me about it................

Frank the tank

I took up cycling 15years ago when I gave up football.

Cycling get's under your skin and becomes a way of life i.e. planning your meals and daily routine around your ride, stashing money away for new kit and equipment etc. I can understand how peiple become "evangelical" about it, IF they happen to be celebs fair do's they spout off about their love of their new sport.

I'll be honest, I love cycling but, if it were possible to play football as a young man can into my seventies I'd still be playing footie. I once said to a footballing friend "Whatever sport you do when ya hang ya boots up, it will only ever be a substitute for football".

I'm not ashamed to post that on a bike forum. I now enjoy the pleasure of cycling, god knows I've spent plenty of dosh on it over the last decade and a half.

If anyone want's to call me a johnny come lately so be it. Now ask me if I'm bothered.

Anonymous

You took your time posting a reply Frank, the Op will getcha....

Frank the tank

dmclite wrote:

You took your time posting a reply Frank, the Op will getcha....

Only just logged on my owd.

markos1963

Proud to be a Mamil 8)

gmb

I totally agree with the OP.

I met Gary Kemp a few years ago and told him how much I liked playing guitar and being a primary songwriter in a band. He went mental, shouting at me that I was a Johnny-come-lately and he had been doing it for years!

If ever I get to race against him I'll knock him through the barricades.

Ands

GMB wrote:

I totally agree with the OP.

I met Gary Kemp a few years ago and told him how much I liked playing guitar and being a primary songwriter in a band. He went mental, shouting at me that I was a Johnny-come-lately and he had been doing it for years!

If ever I get to race against him I'll knock him through the barricades.

Woooh, you're a bit highly strung tonight, aren't you?

Anyway, to cut a long story short I've been here since 2003, so there

afcbian

Vesterberg wrote:

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

Pretentious tosh I am afraid. You don't own them they are not your personal niche pleasure.
Never understood this kind of opinion.

15peter20

afcbian wrote:

Vesterberg wrote:

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

Pretentious tosh I am afraid. You don't own them they are not your personal niche pleasure.
Never understood this kind of opinion.

OMG, like, major irony failure man!

afcbian

15peter20 wrote:

afcbian wrote:

Vesterberg wrote:

I used to love Kings of Leon when no-one had heard of them. Now everyone likes them just because of Sex on Fire. I liked them first and saw their first ever tour. Now everyone else likes them, it's so annoying. I wish they knew I was into them first, long before them. KOL are NOT for everyone. They are for us people who liked them first and understand them.

Pretentious tosh I am afraid. You don't own them they are not your personal niche pleasure.
Never understood this kind of opinion.

OMG, like, major irony failure man!

Ahh ! having re-read the posting I may have mis-read it .........doh :oops: