Cyclists and 'Not-Cyclists' from the mind of Unknown.

As I have been an avid cyclist for approximately 53% of my life, I have had ample time to discover the differences between people who love cycling and people other than people who love cycling. For several years now, I have been distributing my theory that there are 'Cyclists' and there are 'People on Bikes'. Cyclists are people who use bicycles for recreation or utility (commuting, work or running errands) who truly enjoy riding the thing and take pride in being a responsible user of the road or the bike path. Typically, these people also take care to have a properly adjusted machine, which is an essential element for safety. This category makes up a fairly small percentage of the total number of people who ride the human-powered, two wheeled vehicles. The rest of the people out there who swing their leg over a two wheeled steed fit into the category of 'People on Bikes'. Basically, they don't worry about any of the things that we cyclists worry about. They will rarely view a bicycle as anything but a toy.

But Wait! There is now a new category. I must update my theory. Now, I must include 'Terrorists on Bikes'. That's right, a Palestinian suicide bomber, otherwise known as a terrorist, used a bicycle to approach a security checkpoint and blew himself up while wounding four people. The troubling thing about the article is that he is referred to as a 'cyclist'.

The attacker set off the charge he was carrying near an army jeep as it was passing through a gap in Israel’s separation barrier which enables Palestinians to gain access to their fields. The cyclist had been asked by soldiers to identify himself. He then dismounted, ran towards the soldiers and blew himself up, the sources and witnesses said.

I can assure you that he has nothing in common with the people you see out on the road who are dressed in their colorful clothing enjoying an 80 or 90 mile ride on a nice crisp Sunday morning. He has nothing in common with Lance Armstrong, Tinker Juarez, Marla Streb, George W. Bush and me. We all really enjoy riding our bicycles and would never think of using them to cause harm on others.

hat tip: LGF