Hope it's okay to ask – is that a common mindset for cyclists? It seems to me that cyclist are often very egocentric when exercising, to the point where it's actually dangerous for others (for example poor joggers like me...). I know your comment was with tongue in cheek (I hope...), but it does match quite a bit with my experiences with cyclists (driving at high speeds on sidewalks, ignoring traffic lights etc.). That is *not* being in sync with the planet (= your surroundings).
What you're sensing from me is the resentment towards road cyclists who get all the credit for being "serious" riders. This culture was created by corporate bike manufacturers to increase profits. But these guys are nowhere to be found when there's a little bit of bad weather. I am a very proud yet safe all weather cyclist who admittedly already has a substantial ego...
I am also a casual student of cycling history: Pre-WW2 there was a cycling boom
for all people. Average people around the world fell in love with cycling for transport and leisure. Touring bikes and bike tour vacations were all the rage. I would not be surprised if the public camping cabins you have along the Radwegs in Germany are a remnant of this time.
In the decades after the war, corporations found there was much more money to be made designing road bikes made for racing. They then made a concerted effort to push average people onto road bikes to gain larger profits. This spawned a culture of weight shaving, spandex, clipless pedals, and other things that make cycling less accessible to the average person and reduced the development and encouragement for utilitarian cycling culture.
Furthermore car culture has relegated bikes to being perceived as a toy instead of transport. Now people feel pressured to spend thousands of dollars on a bike that breaks their lower back, reduces their ability to see the scenery around them, and constantly requires costly upgrades to keep up with developments. None of this is at all necessary unless you are seriously competitive and ride at least 600+ miles a month.
Most people absolutely do not need a road bike, especially in an urban environment where they ride -10 miles a day. In fact, nobody needs a road bike for a ride less than 100km ride, IMO. I join 100 mile organized rides and see many many average cyclists on road bikes whom I can ride circles around. I raced a woman half my weight in full time trial gear between rest areas and won on a 20lb hybrid bike, no aero, no clips. Her kit was likely at least 5x more expensive (and infinitely less comfortable), you could see her frustration at how fast I was.
Personally I am an incredibly safe cyclist. My cycling hierarchy is Safety > Comfort > Speed. Ask
@vapirtoo - I slowed and stopped for lights he would have rode right through, to his partial frustration. I follow the rules of the road similarly to how a car should. In 12 years I've never been hit by a car or broken a bone. I chastise other cyclists for being unsafe often. I win my "race" by getting home uninjured. I sometimes race others for fun, or to test myself, *see also that ego I mentioned... I also do many good deeds from my bike, like helping the elderly, or other cyclists when they break down. People who blow lights and ride on sidewalks deserve your derision.
When I ride in Amsterdam it's like coming home. Every
body speaks bike. Eye contact at intersections. Obeying lights. Sensible cycling gear on purpose made bikes.
In the last couple years I've seen less joggers running in my bike lanes, so that's nice. I think the increase in riders and the advent of more dangerous e-bikes has pushed them out of my lanes. And stay out!
