YouTube Conversation

Recently noticed a comment on a video I posted a while back on YouTube. In the video a BMW driver cuts me up slightly, and rather pointlessly, as despite roaring away, within 10 seconds I'm sat behind him again as he's stuck in traffic - he then gets clear of that at the bottom of the Royal Mile, and once again floors it. He's doing around 50 in a 30 zone, past a school (and has to drop anchor again as he catches up with a bus).

Anyway, the conversation went like so.

Commenter
Dear oh dear oh dear..... Cyclists will moan about pretty much everything.... Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Big man in a big car V? small man on a silly pushbike....
#DRIVERS

Me
I'm afraid I'm 6'3" and my own car is a bit faster than a 320d (and? a damn sight more fun). Thanks for watching.

Commenter
The term "small man" bears no reflection on your actual height.. And if you do have a faster "more fun" car, what are you doing riding around making bitch videos on? a silly pushbike for?
#STRANGE

Me
Well because the 4-5 miles to and from my work is covered more quickly by? bike, where I can also lock it up, without having to fork out for parking or petrol. It also means I'm fitter than I would otherwise be, not having to drive to a gym to get my heart rate up, giving me ridiculously toned legs. And, well, I enjoy it - de-stresses me after work. The car (a Mini Clubman Cooper S) is so much more enjoyable away from the traffic of a daily commute...

p.s. the reference to height was an attempt at levity, for which I apologise - I realise YouTube comments are supposed to be places for snippy and bitchy comments aimed at people you don't know anything about and will never meet. Hey, I'm just getting to and from work the way that works for me - not bothering or harming anyone else, which is all I ask for in return. Make love etc etc. But some people think 50 in a 30 zone by a school is acceptable.?

----

There you have it. Some people think that if you have a car it's strange that you should cycle anywhere. The 'jealousy' comment is one I've heard before - if you complain about bad driving it's just because you're 'jealous'. Of what I'm not sure. I mean, I do get to work more quickly than in the car; and it does mean I keep fit without gym fees (or the need to drive there to pedal on a static bike); and quite frankly I do have toned legs from it all.

Is it just jealousy of the fact that someone has a car? Well I've got one as well, I just choose not to use it for the daily commute. Is it jealousy of being cocooned in the warmth of the heaterised interior? Again, if that actually bothered me for the 20 odd minutes to or from work then I'd be in my own car, but I'm not, so clearly have nothing to be jealous of there.

Genuinely confused much of the time towards these kind of comments and statements.

Anyway, in nicer news, today I bought DVDs about black & white Italian bike thieves; and an arty number about Zinedine Zidane (with a Mogwai soundtrack) (the perils of meeting someone briefly in the Filmhouse foyer to hand over a cycle jersey) - which made up for a ridiculous turgid two hour training session that was genuinely difficult to stay awake during.

p.s. I'm not actually much of a fan of Mercs in general (save those from before about 1982), but there is something about the lovely simplicity of the star.