What should I say?

[eminva]

“We should all go for a bike ride!”

[peterw_diy]

One central lesson of BAFS is that achievement is relative. For many, two consecutive ride days in chilly weather with lots of fresh salt & potholes merits celebration.

[rcannon100]

@peterw_diy 110678 wrote:

One central lesson of BAFS is that achievement is relative. For many, two consecutive ride days in chilly weather with lots of fresh salt & potholes merits celebration.

Word! Encourage your friend! Encourage an active healthy lifestyle.

(And then recruit your friend for the #WaronCars!)

[PeteD]

WWDD – What would Dirt do?

WSGFABR, or something positive, spread the love.

–Pete

[cvcalhoun]

Honestly, I’d be inclined to write, “Congratulations! It’s been a rough winter for it, hasn’t it?” If you have to bike more than anyone else before it’s considered worthy of credit, then only Eric Williams ever gets to mention that he bikes. But I prefer to believe that anyone gets credit for improving and/or doing things that are hard for that person, even if those things would be routine to some of us.

[dkel]

Introduce your friend to Rule 5.

(JK! Really don’t do that!)

[Starduster]

Be gracious. She’s riding, period! Encourage her to find her inner http://bikeyface.com/. And who knows? Maybe next season she’ll be dueling you on Freezing Saddles!

[lordofthemark]

She is not a “newb”. She is a fairly serious weekend warrior, proabably faster than me. Just liking her post, or saying I rode the last two days too (my wife has already responde with “ken did too” makes it sound like I agree that it’s finally gotten warm enough to ride. Its not pride – I haven’t been too proud to post 6 mph sleaze rides. It feels like I am betraying winter or something.

[Steve O]

Is she nearby? Invite her on the Pi Ride and introduce her to the idea of social riding to complement her recreational riding. Hopefully it will be another nice day Saturday and she won’t be deterred by the weather.

[Bruno Moore]

It’s like kudos on Strava—for some people at some times, a two mile ride is BIG. A friend of mine taking his first ride on a bike after an injury? It was the shortest ride on my feed, but the one everyone loved.

Me setting five PR’s and two 2015 top ten finishes? Eh, whatever. I’m one of two people who’s ever ridden one of those segments anyway. 70 miles, 20 PR’s and 2 KOM’s? That’s hard for me. Sure.

Eric riding 10 miles? Whatever. 10 miles in the snow? Man’s crazy. Kudos.

Someone got fifteen QOM’s on a training ride? Well, Ms. Vos, I’m sorry to hear you had an off day on the bike. Happens to us all. Best of luck with that hamstring, and cute cat!

So two days in a row? If any of us here were normal people, that would be a Big Deal after the eternal winter we’ve had. This may be the first time I’ve ridden the Bianchi (Marianne) two consecutive days since…uh…January, maybe? First time at all in two or three weeks, anyway. Spring is on its way, bikes are being dusted off. Kudos.

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t understand the problem. What’s wrong with just liking a post like that? She’s not insulting or hurting anyone, and it doesn’t appear that there is an underlying message. Sometimes people just like to celebrate small things on some days. I’ve probably done that but I wouldn’t turn it into an over-the-top celebration or a bragfest. It’s not really a big deal to me. It just sounds like she was pleased about riding those days.

Or am I missing something here? Are you two in some sort of informal competition? If not, I don’t get what the issue is? Maybe it’s because I didn’t sign up for Freezing Saddles. I know that I won’t ride on awful days, although I rode on a couple of negative windchill days. That merited an “Awesome!” or “Are you nuts?” comment in my thoughts. But I didn’t go on about it.

Or maybe she is just happy about the return of normal spring weather. I know I’m pretty happy about that, even if I only rode for 10 minutes yesterday. (I rode 35 min. this morning, and then a very lazy hour ride in the evening, as I stopped multiple times to take photos.)

If it’s the FS mindset, I would say that, sure, be competitive among the group, and even engage in some mild trash-talking. But if someone isn’t signed up and they just want to mention biking, it seems a little… snobbish to have disdain for an innocuous post like that. Sorry, but that’s how I’m reading it.

[ShawnoftheDread]

I think you’re over-thinking it.

[Alcova cyclist]

I’d vote for something like “Life is always better on a bike!” or generically positive.

For people who won’t or can’t (or THINK they can’t) ride year round, there’s nothing like those first few days of “in just spring” & so what if they want to share the joy of being back on two wheels after a dismal winter.

I have to keep telling myself this lest I get grumpy at all the knuckleheads clogging up MY trails that I EARNED this winter. And the kids who keep stepping all over my lawn.

PS – I readily admit that as a total Fred / pudgy middle-aged guy (and who is not at all a serious cyclist), I really enjoyed my commutes today cruising along on my flat bar/flat pedal hybrid, yet blowing by fair-weather cyclists on fancy road bikes struggling up minor hills with their puny winter-atrophied legs. Thanks BAFS!

[Rod Smith]

Wait a minute. You only rode 35 days this year?? :rolleyes:

[dplasters]

This thread has me remembering that my original FS2015 goal was 1,000 points. I’ve already passed that. Looking at the points from last year, I thought I’d be respectable. I was wrroonnggggg… My 1,000+ points are cannon fodder. I think I recently broke into the top 80… wahoo.

Apparently, I need a longer commute.

*Edit – Bringing it full circle, its all relative – right? Be happy they are riding. Everyone has room for improvement.

[Author]

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