Not sure if it is something personal, but I thought I’d scribe a piece regarding why nobody seems to say hello to me when I’m out on my bike.
I’ve recently come back from a cycling odyssey through three countries in Europe.
My trip took me from Barcelona to Rome and it was a given that whenever you saw a fellow cyclist on the road you would acknowledge each other – be it heading in opposite directions or overtaking each other.
Be it a pro team coming past or just a couple of riders you’d experience in the countryside, it was almost expected that you made some kind of acknowledgement of each other.
Having become tuned into that vibe I have subsequently been a bit taken aback at the lack of camaraderie that seems to exist on the roads in Australia.
My normal routes are in and around Sydney, but I have also ridden extensively in both Victoria and South Australia. I would say that it is an exception rather than a rule to share a wave when out and about.
This has proved a bit embarrassing at times as I have been left hanging, having made the first move to say hi to then get blanked. To be honest I’m now falling back into the usual apathy of just ignoring all the other riders around me.
I think this is a shame.
Perhaps it is a city thing, but I tend to think of it more as a cultural thing linked to a weird sense of competitiveness that exists between riders.
A similar vibe seems to exist in the UK where there simply seems to be a lot more ostensible ego involved than you find in Europe.
I’ve been cycling in Australia for six years now and one of my regular spots for a ride is Centennial Park which is a bit of a mecca for cyclists in Sydney.
It is also a bit of a sanctuary. Sydney drivers are not renowned for their love of cyclists and the park allows cyclists to get away from the worst of the traffic.
With respect for cyclists among a lot of drivers not particularly high, it always strikes me as odd that we don’t at least show some love to each other.
Yet unless you know someone there rarely seems to be any acknowledgement. To the contrary there is generally a series of (secret) races going on that nobody wants to acknowledge as they try to catch up to or stay ahead of fellow riders!
Part of me wonders if the reason lies with the bike culture over here. Most of my cycling has been in France and Italy where cycling is very much a part of life.
I think the respect shown between cars and cyclists that is so much more prevalent is due to the fact most people either ride themselves or have friends/family that do. A lot of the time it feels more like a pastime than a sport when you are out and about.
In Australia on the other hand there seems to be more of a competitive vibe. This doesn’t just relate to the riding itself but also the equipment that people tend to use.
I often hear people describing cycling as the new golf and the executive classes certainly appear to have embraced it. Perhaps the competitiveness that they need at work is brought out on the bike with them too and the notion of bike camaraderie is simply a foreign concept.
Perhaps it is just a cultural thing in that Australians don’t feel comfortable saying hello to strangers. Originally being from the UK I certainly think this is part of the reason why people are reticent to say hi.
It might also be because most of the riding I do is in urban areas and there is a different city vibe pretty much everywhere you go in the world.
I’m hopeful that if I rode more in the country the vibe would be a lot friendlier. That said, in France and Italy be it country or city it is still normal custom to acknowledge each other.
As I said at the start of this article it might just be a personal thing and that everyone else is always saying hello to each other! I’m down at the Tour Down Under next week and hope to get some riding in so if you do see a guy wearing a burgundy Ride and Seek jersey please don’t blank him if he smiles or waves at you.
I will persevere with trying to make a connection with fellow cyclists when out and about, as it is what I’m used to from cycling in Europe.
Hopefully the cultural shift that has led to more and more people embracing cycling as a sport since I’ve been here will also manifest itself with those same people giving each other a wave every now and then.
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