Actually cyclists are treated like this

This ad by Nike asks, "What if we treated all atheletes like skateboarders?" Actually cyclists are treated exactly like this.

How about this for an idea. Is there an aspiring movie maker who would like to make a short film similar to this one, but featuring cyclists, and post it on You tube? The whole world wide cycling blogesphere would run it, I certainly would. It would be guaranteed a lot of hits, and would look good on anyone's resume.

Approached in the right way and if the finished film was of a high quality, I could see some sponsorship from the bike industry and advocacy groups.

I'm just throwing out suggestions here. Anyone care to run with it?

Comments

[Yokota Fritz]

It's all very familiar.

Still, skaters are criminalized much more than cyclists are.

[Zac]

Skaters are criminalized more often because they do more damaging activities than other athletes, such as loitering and destroying property. Who hasn't been to a city park or downtown/urban area and seen curbs and hand-rails waxed-up and destroyed by skaters (skate boarders, rollerbladders, and stunt BMX riders included) who chose to grind or ride on objects that weren't designed for that purpose? Taking that into account, the way law abiding cyclists are treated (like in the video of the runners) is NOT justified. Don't ride in the street, get off the side walk, don't use this shared use path that allows runners and horses, etc.

[Ed W]

There's certainly some irony when comparing this tongue-in-cheek bit about runners to the everyday hostility and bias that cyclists face. And I thought about the damage done by skaters and the liability businesses may have if one is hurt skating on their property. Ours is a litigious society.

But no one mentioned the REAL menace - those oblivious in-line skaters so obviously self-absorbed inside their audio wallpaper pumping out of an MP3 player while they move back and forth, back and forth in a way that makes overtaking cyclists absolutely mad. Not 'ha ha' mad, but chainsaw through the jugular mad.

Or maybe it's just me.

[D Dau]

Dave,

I posted this comment here because it was relevant to the topic.

I listened to the radio 'skit' MP3 link on this blog...totally flabbergasted. With people out there with attitudes like this, it's no wonder cyclists are treated like road scum.

The station is WJJO 94.1 FM, Madison Wisconsin (see link below)..

http://www.madvelocity.com/article.php/Don-t-Hate-Me-Because-I-m-a-Bicyclist

If you want to write or e-mail the station, here's a link to their website:

http://www.wjjo.com/

Here's a link to another blog with more contact information, including specific people and specific sponsors.

http://cstrout.blogspot.com/2009/03/wjjo-madison.html

-D