Cyclists attitudes to other sports

Frank the tank

Mikey41 wrote:

GiantMike wrote:

I don't like football. This isn't because I'm a cyclist though, it's because it's sh!t.

A man after my own heart.

I like a few other sports though, cycling is still a new arrival to me after all. Mostly I love motorsport though, F1 and MotoGP being my favourites.

In the interest of balance, I enjoy football (mostly lower/non league variety) absolutely can't abide motorsport. F1 being the absolute "pits".

Rigged

I'm a huge football fan. I probably like it more than cycling if I'm honest. It was knee problems caused by football that caused me to come across to cycling in the first place. In general I'm a sport lover and will watch most things that are on TV, it's only motorsport that I have absolutely no time for.

Frank the tank

Rigged wrote:

I'm a huge football fan. I probably like it more than cycling if I'm honest. It was knee problems caused by football that caused me to come across to cycling in the first place. In general I'm a sport lover and will watch most things that are on TV, it's only motorsport that I have absolutely no time for.

You sound like you came to cycling the same rout as myself. The ability to participate in football ended and needed something to fill the void. For me cycling was/is a great substitute.

Many years ago I said to a mate at work that whatever sport he took up after football would only ever really be a substitute for it.

I have no regrets about the way my sporting passtimes/hobbies have panned out. I participated in all sports at school and persued football thereafter then TKD (due to poor eyesight) then football and cycling from here on in. Happy bunny.

DesB3rd

I've an attitude to motorsport that many here have to football.

I grew up with my father/uncles all into amateur motorsport and everyone involved it, even those who're really only commercially involved (engine builders, specialist distributors, etc) are all irrationally mad about the sport - every spare penny earned goes into the car and every available hours is spent oily handed under the glare of a task light. All that for one weekend a month of "racing" - which is really <1hr of driving and 22 hours of avoiding exposure by drinking tea in the back of a converted bus.

Prior to the 1980s all motorsport was a bit more like this; F1 has been a bit glam from it's inception, but nothing like the business it's become since the 1980s. The relative lack of danger in modern motorsport probably adds to appearance of the drivers as talented but soulless drones rather than devil-may-care enthusiast who'd throw it all away for the love of the sport...

Owning and using a push-bike has no impact upon my opinions regarding other sports; it has resulted in me watching cycling on TV where I otherwise couldn't have, but that really is it.

Monkeypump

johnfinch wrote:

Rugby's crap. If I wanted to watch a load of overweight oafs crashing into each other I'd spend more time at Asda.

on the road wrote:

I don't like rugby, this isn't because I'm a cyclist but only thugs play rugby.

Two of the most ignorant, uninformed and ridiculous comments I've read on here in a long time.

on the road

Monkeypump wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

Rugby's crap. If I wanted to watch a load of overweight oafs crashing into each other I'd spend more time at Asda.

on the road wrote:

I don't like rugby, this isn't because I'm a cyclist but only thugs play rugby.

Two of the most ignorant, uninformed and ridiculous comments I've read on here in a long time.

Hit a nerve

Monkeypump

on the road wrote:

Monkeypump wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

Rugby's crap. If I wanted to watch a load of overweight oafs crashing into each other I'd spend more time at Asda.

on the road wrote:

I don't like rugby, this isn't because I'm a cyclist but only thugs play rugby.

Two of the most ignorant, uninformed and ridiculous comments I've read on here in a long time.

Hit a nerve

Yeah, okay - I bite easily! :oops:

finchy

Monkeypump wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

Rugby's crap. If I wanted to watch a load of overweight oafs crashing into each other I'd spend more time at Asda.

on the road wrote:

I don't like rugby, this isn't because I'm a cyclist but only thugs play rugby.

Two of the most ignorant, uninformed and ridiculous comments I've read on here in a long time.

Monkeypump

johnfinch wrote:

Monkeypump wrote:

johnfinch wrote:

Rugby's crap. If I wanted to watch a load of overweight oafs crashing into each other I'd spend more time at Asda.

on the road wrote:

I don't like rugby, this isn't because I'm a cyclist but only thugs play rugby.

Two of the most ignorant, uninformed and ridiculous comments I've read on here in a long time.

As above.

And I don't like fishing either...

Loretta Damage

I came back to cycling after 20 years of playing rugby union to a high level, I also played a few years of rugby league also. Still love rugby union and still enjoy the opportunity to watch whenever I can although I must admit I don't follow it as avidly as when I was playing and coaching. My lad enjoys smashing around the garden with a rugby ball under his arm practising his hand offs, I can't deny this makes me smile! I will watch a wide variety of sports but I can't stomach football, I think the money involved and the shocking arrogance these so called sportsmen display both on and off th e pitch has driven me away from watching the game. F1 just bores me, I know its an old cliche but it really does appear to me to be a 70 lap procession. On a Saturday morning, after our club ride when we are having a coffee the chat often switches to other sports, rugby union always seems to get a mention although I think the general consensus seems to be that football isn't worthy of the attention of the normal man in the street. I was chatting on Saturday with a fellow rider, both of us ex rugby players; we both agreed that if push came to shove we would sit and watch a cycle race (one day classic or stage) over a rugby match on TV. I do think that, in my case, I've become a little bit obsessed with cycling; in my experience it has become almost a lifestyle rather than just a sport and subsequently other sports are ignored rather than not liked or considered worthy of my attention, maybe there just isn't time anymore!

the playing mantis

"rugby union always seems to get a mention although I think the general consensus seems to be that football isn't worthy of the attention of the normal man in the street"

thats what im talking about, the most popular sport in the world and the UK. I d say the man in the street is a tad more interested in football than eggchasing. im not against rugby, league is of no interest but i can see its appeal i suppose (although attendences suggest different), likewise the 6 nations is ok, but northern hemisphere rugby is a yawn fest of kicking on the whole, but domestic rugby is of no interest and its not to the majority of the people. most men when first being introduced to strangers, be it work meeting, client meeting, friends of friend, any sitiuation that involves more than exchanging pleasentaries can usually find common ground regarding football, if you are required to be 'socialable to a great extent', even if you have nothing else of shared interest. the same cannot be said of rugby. indeed this works across cultures too, when meeting people from the continent especially, you can more often than talk about football if you an in a position where you have nothing else to talk about.

Mikey41

Loretta Damage wrote:

F1 just bores me, I know its an old cliche but it really does appear to me to be a 70 lap procession.

There's no denying that it sometimes is and a few years back it was getting terribly boring. The last 3 years have been a lot better though, far less predictable, which is what it desperately needed.

I find it has common ground with cycle racing, strategy plays a big part. Do you attack early, or wait and hope you can reel in the break later? Can you get your guys close to the front for a sprint finish, or get stuck in the pack?

A good rugby match is great to watch, I don't watch many though.

peat

I loathed foorball long before i started cycling.

hipshot

Just an observation, but I believe that if someones parents/siblings/friends are football fans they tend to develop an interest themselves from childhood onwards. It is just part of the fabric of conversation and discussion and people embrace it in part to 'fit in'. A social/tribal thing rather than an objective choice.

People who dislike other sports may gravitate towards cycling, but that's a different question. I personally detest football as a spectator sport but find playing it can be a good laugh. Funny old world.

dmclite-3.0

Never really watched or was into other sports until I started cycling. Totally immersed in the sport and love watching races when on TV. I never liked football, always annoyed me the way mates would be football daft, incessant conversations etc but........now that I am passionate about cycling I can understand anothers fans passion for their chosen sport so I have warmed a little to football, I get the fact that if you are a fan you go through thick and thin with your chosen/given team. I work with a lifelong West Ham fan and he is emotional so in that sense I get it but still think there is nothing to rival cycle races/tours.