Cycling in Waterloo Region

[danbrotherston]

I'd love to know what the difference is between a "person on a bike" and a "cyclist" is. I consider myself both!

Here's a fun thing you can do that basically give you a quick idea of what society considers to be the difference.  Just google it.  

Google Image Search for "cyclist"


Google Image Search for "person on a bike"


A "cyclist" is seen as a lycra clad person cycling for sport.
A "person on a bike" is someone cycling to go somewhere.  To get something done.  In regular clothes.  

It's not to say that you can't be either/both, at one time or another. But there's certainly a cultural notion that "cyclists" are the platonic ideal of bike riding.

A person on a bike is a temporary state of a person using a mode of transportation, while a cyclist is a personal identity that is assumed to exist indefinitely.  Consider the images invoked with the word "driver" as opposed to "person driving a car", and in fact, a google image search reveals a very similar disparity between the two search terms.

I exaggerate of course, but terminology does matter.