Style Man replies in part that:
"This is the cruel, fundamental fact of road riding of which we dare not speak: The sport is founded on the principle that anyone who can be driven from the pack had no business being there in the first place."
He goes on to say that "...the only hand gesture that you deserve is a thwack to the back of your sniveling little head".
Style Man is wrong! Foul I cry! I'm not an off road rider so I cannot presume to speak to those cousins of mine, but I'll take Style Man to the mat about road riders. There is a subtle nuance that his egregiously egotistical effluent response overlooks.
Now, I should recognize that it is possible that Style Man resides and rides in locales such as New York or Los Angeles. Riders in different regions practice etiquette accordingly. In New York the acronym "NYC" is used by cyclists to reflect the "Not Your Cab" attitude. Adapted from the needs of the teeming masses to procure a taxi even at the expense of others, the NYC is a self-centered method of riding that says in effect "I don't care about you". In Los Angeles, cyclists have adapted the Orange County or "O.C." method of snubbing cyclists. The O.C. stands for "olfactory condemnation", or as it is interpreted "you stink".
Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a practice called approrpiately enough, the NW. The NW can be frequently seen, and it stands for "Nod and Wave". Let me qualify though - although we may be tree huggers, we're not cycling huggers. We don't hop off our bikes and embrace. After all, we are dedicated to riding hard, racing harder and relaxing heavily afterward. The NW is simply a slight nod of the head, which says I acknowledge you. The wave is not a garish parade wave with an elbow elbow wrist wrist twist, the hands stay on the bar with the thumb position unchanged, but the four fingers are barely perceptibly and quickly lifted off the bar and then the full grip is resumed.
Style Man, c'mon over to the Pacific Northwest and we'll teach you some manners! Brian, rest assured that roadies do express their affection here where the microbrew flows and it's OK to wear socks with your sandals.
