Melbourne Age can't resist cycling barb

[TraceyG]

An otherwise interesting article in the Melbourne Age about the Tour de France ruined by a needless barb: "Warning: over the next couple of weeks, blokes in too-tight Lycra suits bearing the names of sponsors they don't actually have will be pushing even harder, inspired to annoy motorists as only a group of bike riders can."

It doesn't add anything to the actual article http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ ... 2p06e.html and just reinforces to the broader community that us silly cyclists are fair game to everyone else on the roads.

Why don't these journalists attack footy fans where wear their team colors with sponsors' badges?

[celeste boy]

Sydney people don't miss out.

Same article in the Herald in the television commentary.

CB

[FuzzyDropbear]

Funny, the last paragraph (which is discussing a TV show) says 'This is the work of a terrific journalist. The archival footage is great, the dramatic reconstructions work well and Masters' narrative is thoughtful and nicely provocative.'. Obviously Tony Squires didn't pick up any tips from the style of Chris Masters....

...
Why don't these journalists attack footy fans where wear their team colors with sponsors' badges?

Yes, I've often argued that point, which people get stumped at. Especially since you have to go out of your way to find a plain cycling shirt (I struggled to find one, so I bought 3 when I found them ). It's kinda the same as wearing a Billabong or any brand label isn't it? You don't have any affiliation with the brand, you just wear the shirt..

[g-boaf]

Yes, there seems to be nothing wrong with people wearing too tight footy shorts that leave nothing to the imagination - the general public doesn't complain about that. The unfortunate thing is that footy-short person is usually sitting on the train, sprawled out...

Anyhow - the link to the article above is great, it gives the Newspaper even more traffic and advertising views. So they've achieved their aims.

[Pravda]

Jesus, it's just poking fun guys, the oversensitivity in some parts of this forum is amazing. Quit playing the victim card and get over it.

Tony Squires pokes fun at sports in pretty much everything he does.

[im_no_pro]

Jesus, it's just poking fun guys, the oversensitivity in some parts of this forum is amazing. Quit playing the victim card and get over it.

Tony Squires pokes fun at sports in pretty much everything he does.

+1 for mine.

[g-boaf]

Jesus, it's just poking fun guys, the oversensitivity in some parts of this forum is amazing. Quit playing the victim card and get over it.

Tony Squires pokes fun at sports in pretty much everything he does.

I'm just poking fun too... The difference is that Rugby League is some sort of sacred thing.

[FuzzyDropbear]

Actually, I'm one of the first people to join in a joke at my expense, so no 'oversensitivity' from my end. How many times do you hear the same old rubbish when discussing cyclists rights on the roads? The papers that publish that sort of view only help to feed that perception that cyclists don't have a right to be on the road. I'm happy for people to make fun and joke about how I go out and ride to get a la-de-dah latte, which have stopped after people realised I don't fit that stereotype because I'm always covered in mud and out in the forest, but I'm happy for people to have a laugh and joke at my expense.

I get annoyed if people start crapping on about how I go out to deliberately annoy and hold up motorists, it's those reinforced negative perceptions of cycling that won't help improve the interactions between motorists and cyclists.

Cheers.

[BastardSheep]

I was ok with it until this bit "inspired to annoy motorists as only a group of bike riders can". That's the part that's really a dig imho, and not a light-hearted "laughing with them" way.

[lobstermash]

Remember the influence of motoring lobby groups on media outlets....

However let's be fair - there are usually plenty of off-the-cuff criticisms of hoon drivers around motoring event dates.

[TDC]

Maybe he is referring to the July only warriors.

My 75 yo father has been riding from adelaide airport to Glenelg for the past decade. A 25 km round trip that he would do 5 - 6 times per week. Every year in January he complains about the once a year riders that appear at Tour down Under time. He reckon they ride all over the place, and lack road skills and manners. There are pelotons of red faced middle aged riders, huffing and puffing their way down the road. Then he says the day after the race finishes, he doesn't see them for another year.

[zero]

Maybe he is referring to the July only warriors.

My 75 yo father has been riding from adelaide airport to Glenelg for the past decade. A 25 km round trip that he would do 5 - 6 times per week. Every year in January he complains about the once a year riders that appear at Tour down Under time. He reckon they ride all over the place, and lack road skills and manners. There are pelotons of red faced middle aged riders, huffing and puffing their way down the road. Then he says the day after the race finishes, he doesn't see them for another year.

Dunno about you soft curlybar riders, but I'll be out training in July on my manly mountain bike for the 3 Ring Circus. (where i will manfully struggle in at least an hour behind the quickest female riders!)

As far as road manners goes, parking a car at the kerb and blocking a quarter of the road for as long as one feels like is worse than anything any cyclist does ever.

[VRE]

This sort of ridicule of cyclists in the media is pretty widespread. Of course, reporting it to ACMA would require extensive evidence, and no doubt the staff at ACMA are mostly motorists, just like the rest of the Australian populace. It's simply prejudice against cyclists, and no amount of "it's only light-hearted humour, get over it" comments will really change that fact. We live in a country where prejudice against others on the basis of sex, religion, ethnicity, etc. is considered abhorrent and yet prejudice against cyclists is socially acceptable.

[TDC]

Maybe he is referring to the July only warriors.

My 75 yo father has been riding from adelaide airport to Glenelg for the past decade. A 25 km round trip that he would do 5 - 6 times per week. Every year in January he complains about the once a year riders that appear at Tour down Under time. He reckon they ride all over the place, and lack road skills and manners. There are pelotons of red faced middle aged riders, huffing and puffing their way down the road. Then he says the day after the race finishes, he doesn't see them for another year.

Dunno about you soft curlybar riders, but I'll be out training in July on my manly mountain bike for the 3 Ring Circus. (where i will manfully struggle in at least an hour behind the quickest female riders!)

what do you do for the rest of the year?

[zero]

Maybe he is referring to the July only warriors.

My 75 yo father has been riding from adelaide airport to Glenelg for the past decade. A 25 km round trip that he would do 5 - 6 times per week. Every year in January he complains about the once a year riders that appear at Tour down Under time. He reckon they ride all over the place, and lack road skills and manners. There are pelotons of red faced middle aged riders, huffing and puffing their way down the road. Then he says the day after the race finishes, he doesn't see them for another year.

Dunno about you soft curlybar riders, but I'll be out training in July on my manly mountain bike for the 3 Ring Circus. (where i will manfully struggle in at least an hour behind the quickest female riders!)

what do you do for the rest of the year?

ride a soft curlybar bike

[TTar]

I was ok with it until this bit "inspired to annoy motorists as only a group of bike riders can". That's the part that's really a dig imho, and not a light-hearted "laughing with them" way.

That's exactly right and it's not being "oversensitive" to object to it.

The best that can be said about it is that it's a lazy and thoughtless joke, but that doesn't excuse the bigotry behind the second part of the remark (ask Eddie Maguire about that) and more importantly it only serves to reinforce the hatred of the bogan motorist -- who knows, maybe it'll be this one "harmless" joke that inspires a lunatic to "teach a cyclist a lesson".

Imagine if Tony Squires was reviewing a doco about Gay history and wrote "Warning: over the next couple of weeks, gay blokes in tight-fitting outfits will be even more flamboyant, inspired to annoy heterosexuals as only a group of gays can."

With good reason, there's laws against that sort of vilification -- a high profile mainstream writer should be aware of the sort of impact a cheap joke can have.

[biker jk]

It's a pity you can't comment on Tony Squires article.

[Percrime]

Had a cricketer step in front of me on a shared path a year or so ago. And then have a go at me wearing lycra. While wearing full cricket kit. Man I took him apart. The bunch of kids he was trying to impress were laughing their heads off.

[find_bruce]

If a certain advocacy group with a mantra of safety thinks it is ok to reinforce negative stereotypes of cyclists, why would a journalist be any better ?

[ldrcycles]

If it's just a matter of joking and having a bit of a dig, by all means go for it, this is Australia, that's the sense of humour we have. I used to be a welder, can you imagine the ribbing I got turning up to work in my cycling gear?

The problem is that reinforcing these backwards views of cycling in mainstream media is not just a joke, it's a matter of life and death. I would quite like not to end up under some lunatic's car because he thought I was just "out to annoy motorists".

[Riggsbie]

It's just lazy journalism......

There is not 'real' story so they just dig out the usual nonsense and prejudices....


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[il padrone]

The problem is that reinforcing these backwards views of cycling in mainstream media is not just a joke, it's a matter of life and death. I would quite like not to end up under some lunatic's car because he thought I was just "out to annoy motorists".

Even worse when said lunatic motorist tells the judge "It was just a bit of a joke"

[g-boaf]

The problem is that reinforcing these backwards views of cycling in mainstream media is not just a joke, it's a matter of life and death. I would quite like not to end up under some lunatic's car because he thought I was just "out to annoy motorists".

Even worse when said lunatic motorist tells the judge "It was just a bit of a joke"

It is freedom of speech and freedom of opinion. That means you are allowed to preach hatred and openly provocative opinions. If you say otherwise, you are just one of those tree hugging, Socialist-Commies who shouldn't have a right to vote or be heard.

The media in this country are a joke. All extremely right wing. How I'd love to see a couple of left wing newspapers here to balance things out a bit. (And no, SMH is as right wing as News Ltd is).

[warthog1]

The media in this country are a joke. All extremely right wing. How I'd love to see a couple of left wing newspapers here to balance things out a bit. (And no, SMH is as right wing as News Ltd is).

Correct, there is right wing and extreme right wing. Hopefully when Rupert finally shuffles off his son won't be quite so bad, probably dreaming though