TOP 9 REASONS CYCLISTS ARE WEIRD - It goes well beyond shaved legs and lycra!

After being part of the cycling culture for over 6 years, I can admit we are a weird bunch. It may be obvious to those who have ever seen a group of cyclist come into a coffee shop wearing tight lycra outfits, shaved legs and what sounds like tap-shoes, but I am afraid it's even worse than that. Here is a list of some of the weirdest things about cyclists:

Reason #1 and #7 - View from the top of the Col du Galibier! 
Beautiful, for all the wrong reasons!

#1 - PAIN IS GOOD! - This is probably a fundamental truth for a cyclist. Pain is a good thing - we desire it, we crave it, we will ride out bikes the long way home just so we can go up that extra hill. We will smile about how we almost passed out trying to climb a mountain as fast as we could, and deep inside we know we could, and should, go even faster next time. When we have to go for an easy ride, it's almost like a chore: "I have to go for an easy 60km ride today so my legs can rest". 

#2 - SO SKINNY - If you ever see a bunch of really skinny people who somehow look really healthy and are devouring an entire pizza (each), chances are you've spotted cyclists. This is taken to extremes when you see professional cyclists, who are obsessed with their body weight so much, that they start to look like aliens! When you see photographs of professional cyclists after a very hard race, it's hard to distinguish if they are pictures of bike racers or p.o.w.'s ( see "paris-roubaix showers")

#3 - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE - Ask our wives or loved ones and they will be very quick to tell you that our obsession with our machines is simply unhealthy. It's not only the time we spend riding it, but also the time we spend washing it, tuning it, or simply just staring at it. But no matter how deep our emotional connection runs with our bikes, we know they are not perfect. We know we can always spend a little more money to make our bikes faster, lighter, more aerodynamic, or just better looking - and I am sure our loved ones appreciate that as well!

Reasons #3, #6 and #9 - this meme says it all!

#4 - COFFEE AND BEER, WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED! Coffee before and during a bike ride, followed by post-ride recovery beers. It's as traditional as those funny cycling caps. And given our natural desire to obsess over anything related to cycling, our knowledge of those beverages runs deep! Knowing that only a macchiato or an espresso is acceptable during bike rides is as essential as knowing the location of the best IPA dispensary nearby. 

#5 - LOVE THY NEIGHBOR'S BIKE - My wife no longer worries when I lose focus during a conversation as my eyes stray away to a passer by behind her. She knows that I have spotted a beautiful sexy bike and need to admire it before its is ridden out of my field of vision. And she knows to avoid going near any bike-shop with me, as a "let me just take a quick look" will turn into a lot of time admiring the new 2015 Canyon Aeroad CF SLX, or any other beauty that just arrived in the shop!

#6 - TAN LINES - Probably the biggest badge of honor a cyclist can display is high-contrast, razor-sharp tan lines! Although they are highly undesirable for anyone else, cyclists work on the craft of creating an maintaining their tan-lines throughout the summer months as an indication of how hard they have been training. When I returned from a recent trip to the French Alpes (more on that later), my daughter looked at my leg and proclaimed: "Dad, you leg looks like the Polish Flag!" I was so proud!

Reason #6 - Meticulously maintained tan line!

#7 - THE PERFECT VACATION - For most people, the perfect vacation involves laying down on a warm sandy beach sipping on their favorite beverage for hours while they forget the hardships of life. For cyclists, the perfect vacation involves riding their bike up 25km's long mountains roads for days so they can enjoy the hardships of their bikes! But there are many similarities as both vacations will include incredible scenery and an enormous amount of food!

#8 - FOLLOW THE RULES - For a sport that is supposed to be all about "freedom", cycling is bound by a myriad of rules and etiquette we must follow. Of course, many "rules" are there just to insure everyone is safe, but our rules also include many details, such as how your wheels should be positioned when you photograph your bike, the length of your socks, how to blow your nose, etc. Cyclists even have a webpage devoted to said rules here. But really, all you should worry about is here: The Rules!

#9 - WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO TALK ABOUT - If you have any friends, relatives or loved ones who are cyclists, you know very well that they can't be part of any conversation that does not revolve around cycling. And if you are able to trap a cyclist into any other topic, you can be sure he/she will quickly bring the subject back to bikes within 4 sentences or less. The reason is simple: if we are not riding our bikes, we are thinking about riding our bikes. Life is too short to talk about anything else, really.

I know there were many generalizations made above, but keep in mind that the list is just for fun; but if you disagree with any of the reasons above or think I forgot another gem from our culture, please leave a comment below!