The rain has paused here for a couple days and there’s lovely riding weather for the next 48 hours. So I took advantage of it today and put in my longest ride yet. I pretty consistently go 2 to 3.5 hours on my rides, but never any more than that. Today I did 4 hours for the first time. Yay.

• 4 hours
• Ave. Sp: 19mph (30kph)
• Distance: 75 mi. (120km)
• Consumed: 700 calories
• Burned: 5055 calories

I took it very easy for most of the ride. Having never gone 4 hours I didn’t know what to expect. I’m glad I went as easy as I did, as the last 30 minutes was pretty taxing. In fact the last 15 minutes involved some pretty hard riding in heavy/fast traffic. Got my heart rate up there pretty good—160s to 170s—toward the end. Otherwise, I tried to keep it in the 100 – 150 range for most of the ride.

I know 4 hours is nothing staggering for most cyclist, but it’s fun to see gains of any kind and I’m aiming for a century next.

I spent 3 hours in the saddle in rain and wind today. I’ll likely have a repeat tomorrow, though probably only 2 hours. Monday will probably be more or the same. An upper level low has settled over north Texas and I’m right in the middle of it. Days of rain ahead.

My wife says nothing, but I know she can’t comprehend how someone could resign themselves to spending that long training hard in the rain. On purpose. My friends, too; I don’t have any local cycling friends. Besides, in 3 hours of riding today I saw only one other rider. Folks here are a bunch of wussies. An internet friend of mine asked how I could do that to myself. My response was that no one else will do it for me. Might as well be me. I have training to do.

I don’t really sweat the rain. I don’t like the caked-on road grit that comes with it, but I actually enjoy riding in the rain. It’s far more comfortable than hot weather riding and I somehow seem to ride faster and longer without fatigue in the rain. Go figure. If only I could keep my feet dry. Now that’d make it just perfect.

I’m not sure what it is about cycling that attracts so many jerks, but it is certainly a powerful draw. And no, I’m not talking about the people you find on course in your local crit race—that’s a serious context that demands competitive focus, and cordiality is often a casualty of the situation. Rather, I’m talking about the folks I run into on training rides on Saturday morning or Tuesday afternoon. For some reason, about 25% of them are total assholes. And for no apparent reason other than …well, they’re just assholes.

As with any athletic endeavor, cycling does not build character. It reveals it. In my experience cycing reveals somewhat less character than it should. The prevalent idea that cyclists are cool people who universally have a sort of innate mutual camaraderie is a bunch of hokum. My experience is that the concentration of assholes in cycling is about twice that in the general population. And given the athletic context of many meetings with other cyclists, their character is revealed quite plainly.

WTF

The roads where I train are pretty popular with cyclists. On my average training ride of 2 hours, I’ll have the chance to pass 6 to 60 riders going opposite to me and perhaps 2 to 10 riders as I pass them, meet at a stoplight, or who pass me. An exchange of howdy waves with most riders who pass me going the opposite direction is pretty common; just a simple, quick acknowledgment. Not always, of course, for sometimes one or both of us is pulling hard and/or deep in concentration. But no worries either way.

However, when riding up on another rider or group, I always call out “left!” as I approach and say “hi” or “good morning” as I pass. To pass without an acknowledgment would be very rude, yet I find that about one quarter of the time, all I get are blank stares or stinkeye. When I pull to a stoplight with, behind, or just before another rider or group, I always say hello. Again, about a quarter of the time I get little or no acknowledgment. Sometimes the response is something close to a threatening or haughty stare (and hate to say it, but women cyclists are particularly guilty of this behavior).

I’m at a complete loss as to what engenders this sort of rude behavior from others out enjoying a training ride. My first thought is to examine my own behavior, but I’m as nice as I can think to be out there. I don’t throw my trash on the road, I don’t pass too close or cut riders off, I don’t ride up stealth-like and scare other riders, I don’t spontaneously join with groups uninvited, and I don’t try and bother riders with conversation. I just say “hi,” and pass on by. So I have no idea what gives.

Say hi

So if I may be so bold as to offer some friendly advice to cyclists, don’t be an asshole. Say “hi” whenever another cyclist meets you and says hello. Otherwise, you just spread negativity and come off as a jerk. And if you see me—the guy in the longish, white chin whiskers—know that I come in peace. When I say “hi,” it is nothing more than that; a friendly, polite acknowledgment.