This Is Why I Hate: Cyclists

Are cyclists increasingly becoming non compos mentis? I ask this because there’s been some reaaaaallllly thick-headed trash talk this weekend about the unreasonable costs ($39) attached to riding in the annual LA County Bike Coalition River Ride — one I’ve not only done three times as a participant/LACBC member, but also this past three years I’ve volunteered my time to help with the route marking.

My obvious bias* for the ride aside, what’s really gotten my goat is people not only criticizing the ride and the LA County Bicycle Coalition for daring to charge a fee to do it, but that they are failing to grasp that the event is a primary way that nonprofit gets the funds SO THEY CAN PURSUE THEIR MISSION TO PROMOTE BICYCLING.

I’ve been pretty reasoned and quiet as this has developed, but a comment that I just read at L.A. Metblogs talks about being unable to “…justify paying money” when there are all sorts of free rides to chose from such as Midnight Ridazz, RIDE-Ard, Crank Mob, and it put me over the edge in my own counter comment:

All you cheapskate haters need to go cork the intersection of STFU & Now. Itâ€™s like crying about giving blood to the Red Cross because all you get is a fucking box of juice, some cookies and a sticker that says “I Gave Blood.” Fucking Red Cross ripoff scamsters!

Whatâ€™s to justify? The river ride isnâ€™t some novelty ride on the freeway/”Letâ€™s go to Scoops and lay down elitefixie skids on Helio” ride. Itâ€™s the LACBCâ€™s lead fundraising event â€” and a highly organized one at that. Support it and youâ€™re helping enable one of the lead nonprofit cycling orgs in our county in their cause to promote and encourage cycling. Or donâ€™t. Either way just try to get in that overtorqued headsets of yours that it ainâ€™t some spur of the moment trek that they just pulled out of their saddlebags and stuck a pricetag on. GAH!

I’ll tell ya. If this kinda mentality persists and perpetuates, the only group rides I’m gonna do are organized fee-based rides because being affiliated with the velo populi is becoming increasingly frustrating.

* Further disclosure: I’ve been demeaned as an idiot by some crashers to the past couple L.A. Marathon bike tours because I willingly pay for it. Have every year since its inception and will until I can’t ride a bike anymore — and not a dime of that money goes to any nonprofit cause. Why? Because I chose to support it for the great event it is.