Attitudes to cycling in the office

They complain why I go down the stairwell from the 5th floor...

I learnt to ride a unicycle down the fire station corridor- it was one of our milder amusements!

I’d have kicked off at the time.

They’re attempting banter. I’d make it awkward.

I tend to just call people out on this sort of thing at the time these days. I'm done giving a **** what morons think.

Am I being a snowflake to still be angry about this, or is this the prevailing attitude these days?

I'd say it's quite common but you have every right to be angry about it. I don't see it as much different to any other hate crime and I especially don't think you should be subjected to it in the workplace. Anyone who rides on the road fears for their life at some point, and it's genuinely terrifying to hear people openly talking about their desire to harm others just because they ride a bike.

Yeah I’d make an official complaint, ****ing pricks.

In hindsight yes raising it at the time might be better than keeping my head down then bringing it back on Tuesday, but hindsight is wonderful isn’t it.

Thanks for the agreement- I think sometimes ”a joke” brings back memories I don’t want to think of (being hit by cars is in this category!).

Think it depends on the workplace. There is a healthcare stereotype of anaesthetists and intensive care docs being obsessed with bikes and coffee for a reason, and when a number of our trainees commute across the city by bike, and my boss rides in on his gravel bike…

From my own experience of hostility from drivers, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear comments such as that. My own next door neighbour commented that I went out for a ride at the wrong time and that drivers getting home should have priority over someone just out for exercise.
The way cyclists are portrayed in the media, things will only get worse and from my own experiences, I feel much less safe since the changes to The Highway Code. It’s as if motorists see us as the enemy.

I’d have kicked off at the time.

They’re attempting banter. I’d make it awkward.

This.

“Are you saying you’d try and kill me with your car?” - said whilst an inch from their face. People tend to have less bravado when not in their car and confronted by a 6’2” 18 stone skinhead.
I’m lovely to my colleagues really.

anagallis_arvensis
I tend to just call people out on this sort of thing at the time these days. I’m done giving a **** what morons think.

I don’t work in an office, but I have come across this moronic behaviour many times from various people (one even a family member) . No wonder the OP is annoyed, I’d be the same.

My first job, it never ceased to be a topic of conversation.

I'd ride in, park the bike, go to the staff room to drop my lunch in the fridge, get a coffee etc (still in my cycling kit), then go get changed.

Walk in (in cycling kit) and every day it was the same:
did you ride in? [no, i wear this stuff on the bus, WTF do you think?!]
how far do you ride?
and you ride EVERY day?
ooh, you'll be in the Tour de France before long!

**** OFF - I just ride a bike a few miles to get to work.

The other week I had red light jumpers, yesterday I had all bikes should have numberplates and insurance.
Looking forward to next weeks subject.

I don't think you should cycle in the office.

Timely, I was out running tonight and whilst on a very quiet suburban back road (no cars) I was using the road because it's so quiet it doesn't suffer from the craters every few yards that the main arteries have so it's a much more even surface than the footpath.

Anyway, I'm right to the kerb running against the traffic (there's none) I get a horn blast from a driving instructor with a student driving. Whilst passing  me from behind with inches to spare. I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag but I was livid. The irony was not lost on me.

There is no law against running on the public highway save for the obvious. Im not a see you next Tuesday, I wouldn't run in the road where I think it's inappropriate.

Way to teach a new generation of drivers/road users..

Thank **** I don't work with ****ers like you have to.

Quite a few cyclists in my office.

In such situations I usually come out with something along the lines of:-

Really? I had you down as a decent driver?

Or my elderly Mum sometimes struggles with driving too.

Or I’ve never known a good driver have issues with vulnerable road users.

Sick of cars. Often driven by the wrekless,dangerous distracted and demented.

Parking badly on the pavement, verges and green spaces.

Polluting overpowered and to big.

Main cause of congestion and getting worse.

Something needs to change,

Had a bit of fun a few years ago when I started doing Agency driving after passing my HGV test:

Backstory: had been in a bit of a run-in with a driver a few years previously about me 'being in the way' while riding home from work, ended up with the police involved and the driver getting a caution.

Fast forward to me working the Agency circuit and I turn up at a builder's merchants to see the same guy getting into his Transit to start loading, he recognises me (I arrived by car) and instantly starts the anti-cyclist 'banter'. The big finale he had was 'Well, this one's going to be properly shit. Cyclists can't drive at all!' He quickly shut up when he realised that I was there to drive the 18T truck, so had a higher class of license to him, and that I placed it perfectly first time on the loading bay. I properly wound him up by getting out of the cab and saying 'Yeah, I'm crap at this...'. His boss just stood there laughing while the cocky guy got in his van and sulked for a bit. Turned out that he'd ranted about me back when the incident happened, the whole place was fed up of his anti-cyclist and pedestrian crap!

[Blockquote]Walk in (in cycling kit) and every day it was the same:
did you ride in? [no, i wear this stuff on the bus, WTF do you think?!]
how far do you ride?
and you ride EVERY day?
ooh, you’ll be in the Tour de France before long!

**** OFF – I just ride a bike a few miles to get to work.[/Blockquote]

Had this in my old job, constantly for a decade.

I'm the only one who cycles to work daily. Apparently someone else used to, obviously uncommitted. I guess as I cycle daily out of choice, it's my means of getting to work every day, they don't take the piss like they might if I was just a leisure cyclist. Sometimes there's the banter but it's reciprocated. One guy has tried to moan on a few occasions so I pre-emptively defend my own riding, while simultaneously state it's only a minority of car drivers that are assholes, to disallow lazy comments about all cyclists. Thankfully I don't work with any real dicks any more.

Am I being a snowflake to still be angry about this, or is this the prevailing attitude these days?

Suggest that they replace the word "cyclist" with "black" or "gay" and then think about whether that banter was acceptable or a disciplinary offence.

Obviously nothing like the racism or homophobia that people experience,  but gets the point across.

I run a training company where I also act as one of the assesors.Riding into the industrial estate where we run our courses a bloke in a transit close passes me before immediately cutting me up, brake checks me then gets out and goes full on rage, right up in my face, you  see u next Tuesday, I’ll kill you, the whole routine. I get into work, wash, make a coffee and head into the classroom to meet the group of students who I’ll be assessing. Guess who’s sat front and center ready for his assessment 🙂 Don’t think I’ve ever seen the blood drain from anyone’s face quite as fast.

I wouldn't be surprised if many people making comments like that are just trying to sound hard or to fit in.

In hindsight yes raising it at the time might be better than keeping my head down then bringing it back on Tuesday

My concern about bringing it back up having previously let it go, is that people would likely draw conclusions about your character. Sorry not trying to be nasty here, just some harsh reality. "He was ok then he's been working himself angry about it over the weekend and now gone to the boss..."

I have a very foggy memory of doing a lap of the office in London on my Brompton. It was before camera phones etc so there’s no evidence of it sadly…

I once had a conversation which went something like:-

"I'm sick of being delayed by selfish cyclists."

And in reply:-

"Well I'm sick of having my friends killed and injured by selfish drivers."

Never heard a peep about cyclists again from the little p****.

I had this from a friend of a friend once, saying how all cyclists deserve to die (just top bants, obviously) - I told him I hope his kids take up cycling one day and he got a bit offended... Whoops.

I don’t think anyone should be defined as a cyclist. It’s just a mode of transport. Yesterday I was on the train, the day before I was driving, today I am going for a bike ride. I may go for a walk later. Am I a cyclist, a motorist or a pedestrian?

Most folk who complain about people on bikes could do with getting some exercise. I’d just point out to them that driving to work burns their money and makes them fat while cycling burns their fat and saves them money.

Most of the big personalities and senior staff in my office are road runners that have been keen cyclists or cyclists. So no I don’t get this at work.

There was a guy who use to do the “cyclists should be made to use the bike path thing”. I explained the counter argument a couple of times and then let it go.

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This is met with 3 different monologues about cyclists on our rural roads, ranging from “I just drive at them and they tend to move” to “groups on a Sunday morning, that’s skittles!”. FD was a little more measured (he’s a petrolhead to be fair) but still obviously not a fan of cyclists on the road.

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These are more serious comments as 2 have expressed and joked about action actions that could lead to injury and death. What they describe is illegal.

I’d be tempted raise it with them when you see them. I don’t think that you can make people love cyclists. But you can get them to acknowledge that they are humans with rights. If that goes badly I’d be looking at company policy on hate speech etc.

“ "Are you saying you’d try and kill me with your car?” – said whilst an inch from their face. People tend to have less bravado when not in their car and confronted by a 6’2” 18 stone skinhead. "

I knew someone would post something like that.

No, I’m not hard. I’m a big softy. But I’m also acutely aware I’m a very big guy, and I’m conscious that I can make my size work to my advantage in some situations. Nobody is going to start throwing punches in the offices of a global IT mega-corp.

I usually make a joke about how I can understand that if you are a nervous driver then cyclists can be confusing and even quite scary but as long as you take your time and remember "mirror signal manoeuvre" you'll be fine. Usually shuts them up or makes it awkward.

Used to get a lot of gentle ribbing when I commuted on a bike in England 1980s-90s. Nothing too nasty  then but road conditions were hairy. (IT office). Some respect due to perceived distances.

In recent years I rarely worked close to home but would use the bike to get to and from railway stations at times.  Bike would be stored in my lab, so lots of "cool bike mister" and interest from cycling pupils.  Always aware that there were some very good riders in my classes.  The fat bike was brought in when we were doing pressure.

The uphill ride of shame from the station could be amusing.

Was out road cycling this morning and went past a contractor cutting the hedges in the country lanes who said "morning roadkill" to me and my mate as we went past.

Then when I got back home my neighbour, an elderly retired guy, who tbf is a nice guy, said I shouldn't cycle on the roads as its too dangerous...said, I think, genuinely out of concern and not passive aggression.

Most people in my office are OK with cycling and tend to be easily impressed, like they genuinely think I have a shot at riding the Tour de France or something and were in utter disbelief when they found out that I actively go looking for hills to ride up. I hope they never witness me in an actual competition as they'll surely be sorely disappointed.

I have heard a few tabloid opinions now and again and similar to the post up there^^ I tend to just say if you can't cope with the rules of the road then perhaps you should just give your driving licence back.

The thing that's more worrying than people having these attitudes, is the fact that they'll quite happily make such statements in your presence, even when they know you're a cyclist.

I work in HE, and I'm an accountant. Most folk are generally OK, as you'd expect from a HE organisation. The Deputy FD isn't so keen on cyclists, and said I shoud give it up (after I got my spine broken commuting).

Mentioned I was riding 200 km sportive next month, he rolled his eyes. I did then say, I'm riding it with our FD you know....

Then when I got back home my neighbour, an elderly retired guy, who tbf is a nice guy, said I shouldn’t cycle on the roads as its too dangerous…said, I think, genuinely out of concern and not passive aggression.

This is ingrained in our society. People are conditioned to see cars as successful, the "default" transport option so anything that gets in the way of that is something to be wary of.

Why would anyone ride a bike when perfectly good CARS exist?!
Our society is built around the CAR so you must be a weirdo to want to use something not a CAR?!

The motor industry as a whole have been incredibly successful (especially in America) of painting anything that gets in the way of the hallowed CAR a danger to themselves and everyone else hence jaywalking laws and the general thought that if you get squashed through not being in a CAR, it was your own fault for straying onto hallowed CAR grounds and if only you had your own car, the squashing wouldn't have happened, you'd have been SAFE. Hence anything not car is dangerous.

I have the problem the other way round. Ribbing takes place if I drive in!

Our society is built around the CAR so you must be a weirdo to want to use something not a CAR?!

My neighbour’s young son asked me if I was poor because I cycled everywhere!!
He gets driven to and from school every day, a five minute walk. This is reality.

I resent that I can't go for a bike ride without being subject to agression from people driving. Is it really important to shave seconds of their journey time while putting cyclists at risk. I have no way of knowing if  close passes are due to ineptitude or are deliberate but I no longer feel safe riding on the road.

I also resent the continual what enormous powerful car threads on here, if people want to discuss cars the maybe a car website might be more apt.

I’d have kicked off at the time.

Yup... Causally calling them out and saying that such an action is a bit ****y....

Report them to hr and/or the old bill. You've got witnesses.

I might have taken things too far by setting up banking on the long ends. 😉

I also resent the continual what enormous powerful car threads on here

People are interested in all sorts of things. STW is particularly impressive in the wide spread of knowledge and expertise beyond riding bikes. It is perfectly possible to be a bit of a petrolhead and like powerful cars whilst also being a sensible driver and a cyclist.

I used to get my petrol fuelled kicks by rallying but I like to think that outside of competition I have always been a considerate driver.

Those people whose mantra appears to be "death to cyclists" are simply dickheads and probably always looking for some sort of confrontation in order to look hard.

Attitudes to cycling in the office

I have a personal rule that if I work past 8pm I cycle through the office (rather than push my bike). People generally seem okay with this. 🙂 (Obviously I realise this isn't what the OP was talking about.)

I also resent the continual what enormous powerful car threads on here

It's possible to like cars and also be nice to cyclists. That is the ultimate end goal really as cars aren't going away so we really need enthusiastic car drivers to like cyclists

if people want to discuss cars the maybe a car website might be more apt

It turns out on Pistonheads, a car website, there are a lot drivers who are also cyclists, there's even a active cycling sub forum. That's a good thing as it brings better balance to discussion there. Likewise many cyclists are also drivers so it stands to reason people are going to discuss their interests here and this adds to STW too.

I don’t think anyone should be defined as a cyclist. It’s just a mode of transport. 

I am a cyclist.  I cycle purely for the activity of cycling and never use it to get from a to b (i.e. transport).  If I didn't cycle I would probably run and then be a runner.

Not really sure why that matters but in answer to OP I don't think attitudes have change for years, they have always be ****ing awful and something I have never understood.

Have to look back to 1950s for the last time bikes were not all hated as the ratio between bike riders and car drivers was much higher in favour of bike riders.

It is perfectly possible to be a bit of a petrolhead and like powerful cars whilst also being a sensible driver and a cyclist.

Absolutely this.

The all or nothing black or white attitudes are what continue to drive the dangerous division between road users, whether you are "anti bike" or "anti car".

Just don't be a dick.

Usual nonsense from people. I tend to ignore it. If I can be bothered I normally direct them to one of our internal policies that we've been implementing - forklifts need to renew their licence every three years, drivers should do the same. We segregate people and vehicles with physical barriers. Forklifts have to stop if people are nearby (halo). Safety posters saying look out for each other and it is everyone's responsibility. We also have hierarchy of risk management ones up.

We did have to stop people riding in the warehouse at one point.

I found out 18months in our company president used to race bikes. And by used to race bikes I found out that meant professionally. He used to train with Lance and George as he was part of the Trek setup. I didn't ask how thick his blood was.

I think you missed the point entirely kerley. True it may be a leisure pursuit for you not a mode of transport but the point is we all need to stop thinking about people as car drivers, mountain bikers, roadies. We also need to challenge people who try to define us in that way. I’m sure there’s more to you than your cycling. It’s just something we do for transport or fun or to keep fit.

If a driver is approaching a slower road user on a bicycle he/she is not approaching a cyclist it’s a person who may be a dad, mum, brother, sister, nurse, doctor, teacher. The mode of transport doesn’t define the person. They may then take more care passing a vulnerable road user.

Also why take it personally if someone expresses aggressive attitude towards people riding bikes. As someone who cycles regularly you should just challenge their views by pointing out that it could be their kids teacher or the a@e doctor who treated them last year on the bike.

I tend to just call people out on this sort of thing at the time these days. I’m done giving a **** what morons think.

TBH I've been doing this all my life, no point in seething 'inside' when you can get it 'off your chest' straight away 🙂

I think you missed the point entirely kerley.

Nope, I just don't agree with you.

I am a cyclist.  I cycle purely for the activity of cycling and never use it to get from a to b (i.e. transport).  If I didn’t cycle I would probably run and then be a runner.

As much as I like cycling for fun and to go places I don’t really need to go… if I had to chose between a place/lifestyle where cycling for transport is the norm, safe and accepted by all…  but bikes were just a tool vs a place with a big recreational cycling scene where no one rides an everyday bike, I’d chose the former.

I’d rather have both of course and indeed, in the NL nearly everyone cycles for fun as well as transport… but I feel that everyday cycling is more important and that normalising non vehicular transport is key to making the place nicer, safer, healthier and generally better.

I feel that everyday cycling is more important and that normalising non vehicular transport is key to making the place nicer, safer, healthier and generally better

Well said.

Yes that’s the point.  We don’t need to group people into different categories which we end up being judgemental about.

I'm in a pretty pro-cycling team, but you still get the usual suspects with their edgy (borrowed from clarkson) lines. The trick is to deliver the standard rebuttals but with a smile and a little chuckle. After all it's all 'just banter', right?

We all RLJ? Sure there was an email sent round, everyone who owns a bike agreed to ignore red lights.

You drive right at people on bikes? Play skittles with groups? Your wing mirrors don't bend down do they? My cycling shoes have bits of metal on the bottom and it's amazing how much it costs to fix the paint on a car door these days...

My favourite though was almost convincing one colleague that the bottles mounted on seat tubes are generally reserved for wee, and if he really valued his bimmer's upholstery he wouldn't roll down his passenger window to relay his opinions to lycra louts at traffic lights (after he'd spotted me on the way home the night before.

It's the change of seasons, happens every year when there's a few more bikes out and about, it becomes a hot topic for the hard of thinking to complain about, something else will distract them soon enough.

Just tell them they're welcome to mow cyclists down if they really want but nothing bumps an insurance premium like a conviction and a ban and we're all bristling with cameras these days, the bravado soon dies down...

I’m going to take the opportunity to remind everyone that if you feel strongly about this stuff, please get involved in your local AT campaign group - every little helps, no matter how peripheral.

Round here it’s Walk Ride GM, I’m sure there are similar groups in most places. L

All of this is quit relevant to a thread I started a few weeks back.... Unfortunately it was so controversial that it got shut down....

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/cyclists-vs-drivers/

I keep thinking that it'd be good if drivers had to experience being a cyclist on a road - certainly anyone who's convicted of a traffic offence involving a cyclist should be part of their sentence, like the speeding courses people do. Take them on a cycle on a variety of roads. I think / hope that the more there are cycling classes for kids in schools, and the more that kids ride bikes, maybe it'll filter through to families and they'll stop lumping "bloody cyclists" into a non-human herd to see as a nuisance / target. I've only recently started to ride on roads and it's really scary sometimes - I really do think that the best possible thing would be if everyone sitting a driving test had the experience of other road users.

Same thing with any infrastructure - some of the council members & staff approving it should have to try using it themselves on foot, bike, wheeling, with a pram etc before it can be signed off as adequate for purpose.

But none of that will ever happen because cyclists and pedestrians are evidently waging "war on motorists".

Same thing with any infrastructure – some of the council members & staff approving it should have to try using it themselves on foot, bike, wheeling, with a pram etc before it can be signed off as adequate for purpose.

There is much more stringent guidance and checking from Active Travel England now. Thankfully, everything (in England at least) is now going through them for a sense check so there is (at long ****ing last!) some standardised guidance and rules to play by - anything not compliant won't get funded which sort of forces the council in question back to the drawing board.

Unfortunately of course, there's still a shedload of wildly substandard historical nonsense out there, some of which keeps being incrementally "improved" because ripping it out and starting again would be too expensive and/or "war on motorist".

Generally I meet a lot of incredulity that I cycle to work. Like you have to be an ultra endurance athlete.

The shtick is along the lines of ‘Six miles! Each way! You must be fit/mad/doing the Tour’.

When I’m working in another office on the other side of Scotland, I’m often asked if I cycled in. On one occasion, bored of this repeated question, I deadpanned ‘Yeah, I did…headed out at half five this morning to be in for 8:30’.

Riding to the pub quiz, all of 3 miles each way (with maybe 1.5 miles unlit road) is deemed utter insanity. And this is from guys who got me into MTB…

Confessing I did a 200k Audax ride one Monday morning was almost the cue for my committal papers to be requested by colleagues.

When I got the anti cyclist nonsense at work i would use two approaches.   Firstly the threatening ones would be countered with either " that is what killed my frend"  or " why do you think  its acceptable to attempt to kill cyclists" and the ignorant ones i would explain  the reasoning ie primary position

When I was working I managed to convert a few of my colleagues to cycle comuting, one of them wished he'd done it years ago as it improved his quality of life.

I am sure if some people tried cycling to work they might loose their negative attitudes to cyclists and they might even enjoy cycling.

I work for a popular P&A Distributor in the cycle trade. Main boss is an ex-1st Cat, his business partner is an ex-2nd Cat, I’m a (lapsed) 3rd Cat and one of our wheel builders is a 4th Cat. Nobody in the company wants to see one of their colleagues injured or killed, and there’s never any banter related to ‘nuisance’ cyclists. I like my job and the people I work with.

My work colleagues were happy to tolerate me arriving in a full skinsuit and parking my £5k TT bike in the office. I did have a run in with security about why I had dispensation not to lock this fabulous device to the ample bike racks.
No banter in our offices, we’re a very cycle friendly company with showers and free towels! My standard retort would be “your paunch is why I ride”. Someone shouted some nonsense from a Seat Cupra last week. I replied that he was the reason I drive a Porsche not a Seat (never have any issues from Porsche drivers 🤣).