Responding to Readers

It’s been almost a year since I started this blog and I have done about 24 posts since then and had about 10,000 visitors to my site. In that time I have written some pretty inflammatory things about cyclists, not all of which I am proud of, but none have ruffled the feathers of cyclists like my most recent one. A blog begging cyclists to stay off the roads because it is dangerous got over 3000 views ) in less than a week (edit: over 4000 by the time I published this). It also led to, by far, the most comments, e-mails, and message board threads of any blog post I’ve done. Yes, that’s right, asking cyclists to take value in their lives is the most offensive thing I have ever written here.

First let me say that I appreciate everyone reading the blog, even if you disagree with my views on cyclists, including the one that their lives should be valued. And one reason I started this blog was to encourage that debate, cyclists vs. those of us who want them off the roads, be it for their safety or our convenience. I hope regardless of where your views lie you will always feel welcome to post your comments here, even if they are about what an asshole you think I am. And as long as they are not bigoted I will never censor them.

Ok, so with that being said let me address some of the points that were raised in the messages and comments I received, or that I saw elsewhere posted about this article. I am not going to call out anyone by name here and I may take several comments from different people and combine them into one thought. Hopefully I won’t take to many liberties with your words in doing so. I don’t want to misrepresent anyone. So let’s get to it:

1. You are hiding behind a keyboard (or behind then anonymity of the internet).

I don’t get the point here. Are these people saying no one should ever say anything on the internet? These people do not seem to know what the internet is. It is a way for people to share thoughts across the planet. Am I supposed to go on a World Tour to share all this information in person? That would be both costly and inefficient. 

The only other conclusion I can come to is these people are trying to say they want to fight. Otherwise, why the need to say these things face to face or attach my name and address to them? I am not interested in fisticuffs with anyone. If you read my blog you would see I always encourage non-violence. If that makes me a pussy or a wimp, I am fine with that. I have zero interest in fighting you over my thoughts on cycling.

The internet lets us share our thoughts on a subject with each other, be it on politics, religion, or cycling. That is what I am doing here. If you disagree, let it be known. But I am not interested in doing a cross country tour of brawling with people who disagree with me.

So please forgive me for not giving you my phone number and directions to my house, but I once had someone call my house and tell my wife they were going to rape her over something I had published on cycling, on top of a few death threats directed to myself. If you really need to call and threaten me or my family e-mail me the threats. I will take them under advisement and forward any that are on my family to the proper people.

If you just need something to attack me on personally, here you go:

• - I play too many video games sometimes.
• - I never graduated college.
• - I could stand to lose some weight (see below).
• - I am pretty nerdy. Not a huge nerd, I don’t go to conventions dressed like Darth Vader or write fan fiction for some of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series, but like a step down (or up depending on how you look at it) from that. For my 30^th birthday I made my wife make me a cake shaped like the Millennium Falcon. Pretty sweet.
• - I neither hated nor loved the movie Avatar.

2. You are obviously fat.

I have heard this one before I even started the blog. Any time I posted somewhere that I didn’t like cyclists on the roads the response was always the same “you must be fat.” I will start with that I could definitely lose a few pounds. At the time of writing this I am about 5’11” and weigh right about 200 lbs (actually closer to 5’10” and 205). I really should be down near 185, so if you want to call me fat, OK. But what does this have to do with anything? Do cyclists think the only way to exercise is to ride a bike on the road? Although I prefer the elliptical, I do sometimes ride the stationary bike at the gym. Why does riding a stationary bike over one on the road mean I am fat? 

I used to have a roommate whose comeback to everything was “you’re gay”. I would say this is a similar type deal, lacking any sort of wit they resort to a childish insult in defense. But they often include the world obviously to convey that it isn’t a lame insult, but a logical conclusion at which they arrived.  Sorry, but the logic just isn’t there. No one is telling you to not ride a bike for exercise, only to do so somewhere safely and logistically sound, read: not on high speed, high volume roads. 

3. Your blog should be banned as hate speech.

Yes, telling people they should get off the roads for the safety of all is speech so inflammatory and hate filled, we need to scrap the first amendment on this one. Much of Europe banned the swastika after all. 

 4. I jump out of planes but some of the places you ride your bikes are insane. 

Not all of the comments were nonsensically contrary. On a message board a cyclist actually agreed with some of what I said, saying that many cyclists ride their bikes in dangerous areas and they need to stop.  

There were actually a few people who ride bikes who either said they agreed with some of what I said, or took a rational approach to discourse and said they supported my right to voice my opinions, despite their disagreements. I question if these people are really cyclists. Real or not, congratulations to those not flying off the handle over what some jackass (me) writes on a blog that almost no one reads.

5. You are a troll.

This is a default internet insult when someone has no reasonable or intelligent retort to a point or thesis they disagree with. Anytime you see someone calling someone else a troll it means "I don't like what you are saying but I can point out no fault in it". No surprise it was the most common response to a post asking cyclists to consider their own self worth and safety for the love of their families, and themselves.

6. Your blog is awesome and I agree with you 100%. You are a Great American and clearly have a large penis. 

Thanks.