With apologies in advance to the late Bill Shankly:
"Some people believe cycling is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."
Of course the sharp-tongued Liverpool FC manager never uttered those words – at least not all of them. His much-abused quote related instead to the importance of soccer which, for obvious reasons, endeared itself to him. But, allowing for a degree of licence, it seems to sum up the depth of feeling that cycling has generated on print and web pages over the last 10 days.
In a precursor to National Bike Week (which concludes tomorrow), the tone was set – at least in part – by Fintan O’Toole. Rising to a hyperbolic height that is a polemicist’s stock in trade, he denounced cyclists as the spawn of the devil. What rendered his views most cutting was the core truth – however uncomfortable on the approach to a week intended to promote bike use – that some cyclists show little regard for pedestrians (not to mention their own safety). At last count, O’Toole’s column had attracted more than 400 comments on irishtimes.com. A parallel series “On Your Bike” evoked a negative response from some in cyberspace because it was deemed (unfairly) to be pursuing an anti-cycling agenda.
So for clarity, let's put the record straight: cyclists are neither the spawn of the devil nor the children of God. They are neither oppressed nor oppressor, martyr nor saviour and neither above nor below the law. They are both sinned against and sinners. When they mount a bike, they do not form a homogeneous mass. Some care about other road users and some obey the rules of the road. Not all are burdened with the zeal of the self-righteous. Some even have a sense of humour.
But there is one cycling stereotype and it defies age, gender or other neat categorisation. It relates to those who, having discovered the bicycle, know they have found the perfect means to personal freedom. Go on….give it a try.