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7 Types of Cyclists You Want to Avoid

By Adam Marsal

Some people are worth cycling with. At the same time, there are cyclists whom we think it’s better to avoid.

Cyclist riding without lights after dark

There is a lot of risks when we cycle. So why are some people doing it even worse? Cyclists riding during the night without appropriate lighting act like they have a death wish. The question is not “if” but “when” will something happen? Try to empathise with those poor drivers who catch a sight of the ghost rider in the fraction of the last second before the inevitable crash. They might eventually avoid it but they might as well knock the cyclist down. In both cases, cyclists without lights contribute to the bad relationship between us and the drivers.

Cyclist who overtakes you under the lights

There’s not much going on but it’s just a staple of good behaviour to stay where you are. You probably remember this from your own experiences. You may travel by bike to your job and you are kind of in a hurry. Suddenly, you need to stop on the lights because they turned red. And, at the same time, someone from the rear battles his way through all the gathered cyclists and heads to the front. It doesn’t have a reason. He just needs to be in the best position to win this year’s World Cup over Valentino Rossi. Jerk. Please, tell him this is really silly.

The crappy videos’ uploader

Despite all those beautiful pictures and videos from great professional crews, some cyclists still believe that somebody’s interested in their private ride submissions on YouTube. If you are standing on top of the mountain, ready to drop into the Red Bull Rampage, then yes, we definitively want to see your POV video. But if it’s just another crazy wild ten-minute off-road lullaby, you can keep it in your GoPro for individual screening. Thank you so much.

Cyclist who is dating his bike

Posting selfies with his bike. Cherishing it every day. Talking about it like if it was his baby, darling, honey… whatever. Do you know guys like that? We do too. Even though we also love our bikes, it’s good to keep in mind that it’s just a machine that provides speed and torque conversions from our pedalling power to the wheels. Just because you paid your 4-month salary for it doesn’t mean we have less fun with cycling on bikes from the pawnshop.

Cyclist who thinks every ride is a race

Without a doubt, cycling is a great sport but it’s an amazing fun, too. Most of us spend the time behind the (handle)bars clearly because it’s a much better amusement than most of our other activities. Sometimes, it’s good enough just to have a ride with a bunch of your friends. Even while cycling you can have a conversation and socialise, which is a way better option than tipple in a pub. Well, sometimes… And also, there are rides for charity or for supporting cycling rights where there’s no need for speed. However, you can bet your bibs there will be a couple of idiots who can’t live without turning everything into a competition. Does anybody know why?

Cyclist who doesn’t take care of his bike

It’s little bit weird when somebody cares for his bike like it was his child. But to leave it to fall apart is not graceful either. Wash the bike and its moving parts, clean the chain with a brush and lube it afterwards. Do it after every dirty ride. When we see your 80s’ Italian steel road bike covered in rust, our hearts hurt very much.

Cyclist who always has something better (than the rest of us)

This is the guy who asks you about something just to have an opportunity to explain how much better or how much worse is he doing. His bike was more expensive, he made it to the top with higher average speed, his Strava records showed him more gained elevation meters, his head wind was way stronger, and his winter training is, obviously, going to take place somewhere you can only dream about.