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If he's been doing serious road biking since that age it's probably not something that he's doing on regular streets. Or, he's not just hopping on a bike and ta

If he's been doing serious road biking since that age it's probably not something that he's doing on regular streets. Or, he's not just hopping on a bike and taking a leisurely ride down the street for groceries anyway.

awfgylbcxhrey 10y ago
What basis do you have for either of those claims? What sort of irregular streets do you think "serious" road bikers use, and why do you think serious road bikers don't also use a bike for shopping?
- aaron-lebo 10y ago
  Not sure why you decided to create a throwaway, but it's a valid question. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Marchand_(cyclist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Marchand_(cyclist) Aged 35 he finished seventh in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946.[3] He returned to cycling in 1978[2] and continued training after his 100th birthday. My point is that the guy has very clearly been training and seriously cycling for a long time. While you can do it on normal city streets, you are often served better to do that on dedicated bike paths or on the open road. You can reduce the impact of cars all you want and even make your city bike friendly but that's not going to change your ability to really train. It's not crazy to think that his health benefits are from this elevated level of training and not just leisurely cycling.
jdietrich 10y ago
>If he's been doing serious road biking since that age it's probably not something that he's doing on regular streets. Of course he rides on regular streets, he's French. Seeing an elderly woman riding to the shops or a group of lycra-clad pensioners attacking a mountain pass is perfectly normal there. It is a peculiarly American belief that bicycles are somehow incompatible with motor vehicles. Cyclists need no special facilities, just sane traffic laws that are actively enforced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be48mIvXZrw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be48mIvXZrw
- aaron-lebo 10y ago
  You can drive to Plano, Texas and find packs of bikers attacking the open road as well. That's not a video of Marchand in lycra speeding down a Paris boulevard. Is it a particularly European belief that Americans are unenlightened savages? I mean, we are, but you don't have to assume it.
  - jdietrich 10y ago
    I don't believe that Americans are unenlightened savages. I believe that they have a very limited cycling culture, due largely to the dominance of car culture. America was fortunate enough to be the richest country on earth during the 20th century, so it developed a car culture sooner and more pervasively than any other country. At a time when cars were an unaffordable luxury for most Europeans, many Americans regarded cars as a basic necessity. The public discourse about cycling in America is dominated by myths, because very few Americans have practical experience of regular cycling. Those who do cycle tend to be self-taught, because of the limited availability of cycle training and the lack of a strong tradition of club cycling. America is having to rebuild a culture of cycling from scratch, for no other reason than the ubiquity of the motorcar.
    - aaron-lebo 10y ago
      Yes, America has a "limited" cycling culture, but we're a nation of 300 million people; within that there are pockets of very real cycling culture informed by decades of experience from elsewhere. Some of us do cycle, too. There are miles and miles of good trails running through some cities you wouldn't expect.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
      - legodt 10y ago
        That is the exact opposite of a national culture of cycling...
  - 10y ago

awfgylbcxhrey 10y ago

What basis do you have for either of those claims? What sort of irregular streets do you think "serious" road bikers use, and why do you think serious road bikers don't also use a bike for shopping?

aaron-lebo 10y ago
Not sure why you decided to create a throwaway, but it's a valid question. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Marchand_(cyclist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Marchand_(cyclist) Aged 35 he finished seventh in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946.[3] He returned to cycling in 1978[2] and continued training after his 100th birthday. My point is that the guy has very clearly been training and seriously cycling for a long time. While you can do it on normal city streets, you are often served better to do that on dedicated bike paths or on the open road. You can reduce the impact of cars all you want and even make your city bike friendly but that's not going to change your ability to really train. It's not crazy to think that his health benefits are from this elevated level of training and not just leisurely cycling.

jdietrich 10y ago

>If he's been doing serious road biking since that age it's probably not something that he's doing on regular streets. Of course he rides on regular streets, he's French. Seeing an elderly woman riding to the shops or a group of lycra-clad pensioners attacking a mountain pass is perfectly normal there. It is a peculiarly American belief that bicycles are somehow incompatible with motor vehicles. Cyclists need no special facilities, just sane traffic laws that are actively enforced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be48mIvXZrw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be48mIvXZrw

aaron-lebo 10y ago
You can drive to Plano, Texas and find packs of bikers attacking the open road as well. That's not a video of Marchand in lycra speeding down a Paris boulevard. Is it a particularly European belief that Americans are unenlightened savages? I mean, we are, but you don't have to assume it.
- jdietrich 10y ago
  I don't believe that Americans are unenlightened savages. I believe that they have a very limited cycling culture, due largely to the dominance of car culture. America was fortunate enough to be the richest country on earth during the 20th century, so it developed a car culture sooner and more pervasively than any other country. At a time when cars were an unaffordable luxury for most Europeans, many Americans regarded cars as a basic necessity. The public discourse about cycling in America is dominated by myths, because very few Americans have practical experience of regular cycling. Those who do cycle tend to be self-taught, because of the limited availability of cycle training and the lack of a strong tradition of club cycling. America is having to rebuild a culture of cycling from scratch, for no other reason than the ubiquity of the motorcar.
  - aaron-lebo 10y ago
    Yes, America has a "limited" cycling culture, but we're a nation of 300 million people; within that there are pockets of very real cycling culture informed by decades of experience from elsewhere. Some of us do cycle, too. There are miles and miles of good trails running through some cities you wouldn't expect.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - legodt 10y ago
      That is the exact opposite of a national culture of cycling...
- 10y ago