I went back to Sam’s Thursday post in the third week of April 2015 (11 years ago): The rules of cycling rewritten. It was composed of three linked posts and Phil Gaimon’s 3-minute video, New Rules of Cycling.
Sam’s two linked posts describe observations about some negative aspects of cycling she was seeing at the time, focusing on machismo and fussiness.
I found through the Wayback Machine the youth sport UK’s 27 rules for young cyclists, which emphasize respect, consctientiousness, and reality checks during training and races. The rules advise young cyclists to reject egotism and meanspiritesness and embrace competition while still seeing the bigger picture.
Finally, conplete with a makeshift outdoor office, a Cookie Monster mug, and his bike behind him, Gaimon shares general etiquette cycling rules that reject elitism and encourage safety and inclusion. And waving, as Sam notes in her OP.
If I had to boil it all down, the “new” cycling rules in 2015 were to Be Kind To Others and Be Kind To Yourself.
I think Sam’s post from eleven years ago is evergreen, not throwback. As a curious but hesitant road and gravel cyclist, I might not have even joined the sport of cycling a few years ago if I’d have known how gate-keepy it could be. I’m grateful for these posts because the culture of any sport is learned behaviour. As a novice, I only benefit from more seasoned riders who model and encourage unlearning the “old” rules that would have excluded me. Marc and Fred at the LCC lead in this way.
Longtime FIFI cyclists: have the “new rules” from over a decade ago become just “the rules” today? What’s changed, and what’s still the same in your cycling world?
I started late, but have now been riding for over 20 years. I think that, in my area – San Francisco Bay Area – at least, the numbers of cyclists who follow those rules is increasing. On the other hand, the pelotons crammed with highly competitive, fast riders have not changed at all. They still swoosh by giving other cyclists about a 6 inch margin, apparently not even considering just how steady and competent that cyclist may be (there must be the occasional terrible crash, although I have not yet seen it) and taking the lane for extended periods, making drivers like us even less, and so on. But the rest of us – except, oops, I forgot to mention the young teens on “e-bikes” with throttles, whose parents have knowingly violated the local law by buying them those machines and allowing them to use them. They are dangerous, and around here, a few of them have met devastating consequences.
But the general cycling population? Yes, I think it’s getting more thoughtful, friendly, considerate.
Thanks for your comment! What you describe suggests that fortunately folks may be more likely to find a group that aligns with their preferred level, speed, and goal, but unfortunately being considerate of other groups may still be an issue. I know that on inside tracks expert roller skaters scare other “regular” skaters when they whiz by so closely, and it feels unsafe.