The Redheaded Stepchild
Mon, March 9, 2020 
Cyclists have always been society’s “Redheaded Stepchild;” unloved and abused throughout history. The above picture is titled, "The Unrestrained Demon of the Wheel,” published in “The Judge,” Sept. 23, 1893, reflects the attitude of the day.
Since the invention of the ordinary, or high-wheeler in the late 1800s, when horse drawn carriages were the transport of the day. It was the wealthy classes who owned carriages, and bicycles scared the horses.
It was not uncommon for a coach driver to lash out at a passing cyclist with his horsewhip, and pedestrians were not above putting a walking stick through a rider’s wheel.
Bicycles were expensive and initially cycling was a sport of the wealthy, but it was a young man’s pastime and even wealthy young men were viewed with disdain by the older generation.
Cycling was initially banned in places in England as being too dangerous. However, being a “rich man’s sport,” the ban was short lived. By 1880 there were 213 established cycling clubs in the UK. Remember, this was before the invention of the “Safety Bicycle” in 1885, and the pneumatic tire in 1888.
With the invention of the “safety” bicycle, and mass production that followed, it really changed the face of the sport, and people’s attitude to it. Cycling became affordable to the working classes and it quickly became both a pastime and a mode of transport of the masses.
In England the wealthy who lived on large country estates, suddenly found their space invaded on the weekends by the working classes on their bicycles as they ventured outside the cities for the first time to explore the countryside.
Cycling was no longer a pastime for the wealthy, in fact to ride a bicycle was now a definite sign of being lower class.
The privileged upper classes looked for new ways to reclaim the highways again; of course, they found it in the form of the automobile.
However, the resentment towards cyclists, by the upper classes, was already established long before the automobile arrived.
The invention of the pneumatic tire meant there was an explosion in the sport of cycle racing. And nothing will disrupt a quiet Sunday drive to church by the local gentry, like a bike race. This led to a ban in England of mass start road racing in 1894; a ban that would last until the 1950s.
The result was road racing never developed in the UK as it did in the rest of Europe. In countries like France, Holland, Belgium, and Italy cyclists receive respect and toleration because of the popularity of cycle road racing in those countries. The general public on the continent of Europe has become used to seeing cyclists racing and training on the highways.
The only competitive events open to British cyclists were track racing, of course limited to those close to a track. A few mass start circuit races in private parks, and individual time trials, which would become the mainstay of British cycling competition.
It is interesting to note that in 1894, as road racing was banned in England as being too dangerous; the first motor race was held on public roads in France. This led to almost ten years of absolute carnage as racecars quickly developed to reach speeds of 100 mph (Without the brakes, steering and road surfaces to match these speeds.) and there was wholesale slaughter of both spectators and drivers.
The attitude of the wealthy was no doubt one of, what were the deaths of a few of the peasant class, as long as they could enjoy their sport? Much the same state of affairs existed in the United States; it was the privileged who initially drove cars. They set the rules of accepted behavior and attitudes, which still exist today.
Is this not still the attitude now? “What is the death or injury of a few, as long as I can drive as fast as I like, and in a manner that suits me?” Of course, no one intends for people to die, but behave in a certain way and the inevitable will happen. And if a cyclist or pedestrian gets hit, no real concern, just the question, “What were they doing on the road anyway?”
When Henry Ford made cars available to the masses, naturally they expected to drive to the same standards set by their wealthy predecessors. All road safety legislation since has been aimed at protecting the person inside the car, with little thought going into the protection of other road users, namely pedestrians and cyclists.
Those of us today exercising our rights by riding our bike on the public highways should not despair. However, we should be realistic and recognize that current attitudes of the general public have been formed over a 100 years, or more; change will continue, but slowly.
In the mean time we will remain the Redheaded Stepchild, and should expect the abuse to continue until further notice..
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Reader Comments (4)
Estimado Dave:
Le felicito por artículo, efectivamente yo mismo me siento como usted dice: “un hijastro pelirrojo”.
Suelo montar en bicicleta para ir a mi trabajo alrededor de 3700 km. al año. Aquí en España, en muchas ocasiones, montar en bici se puede convertir en una actividad peligrosa, debido a la falta de respeto e incomprensión de los usuarios de vehículos a motor.
Es contradictorio que el gran público siga con verdadera pasión las competiciones ciclistas y en muchos casos, esos mismos apasionados, detesten a los ciclistas cuando forman parte del tráfico de las ciudades.
Aunque hasta ahora no había comentado nada en su blog, en parte por no conocer bien su idioma, sepa que lo sigo con mucho interés desde hace años. Le agradezco que comparta con nosotros sus conocimientos y su experiencia vital.
Reciba un saludo desde Granada, Andalucia, España.
Translation.
Dear Dave:
I congratulate you for an article, indeed I feel as you say: "a red-haired stepson".
I usually ride a bicycle to go to work around 3700 km. year. Here in Spain, on many occasions, riding a bike can become a dangerous activity, due to the lack of respect and misunderstanding of motor vehicle users.
It is contradictory that the general public follow with true passion the cycling competitions and in many cases, those same passionate, they stop the cyclists when they are part of the traffic of the cities.
Although until now I had not commented on his blog, partly because I don't know his language well, I know that I have been following him with great interest for years. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and vital experience with us.
Receive greetings from Granada, Andalucia, Spain.
Here in Australia we inherited a great many things from England, and this attitude towards cyclists (and proles in general) was part of it.
There's also the ongoing problem that cyclists are the other. This is related to the class divide you discuss, but it's also a consequence of the legal system generally mandating driving for all members but making cycling optional. Cycling is a minority choice and in many places officially discouraged. That means that even when the cyclist is not at fault they're dealt with by a police officer in a car, processed by court staff who all drive but rarely ride and so on until they're judged by a habitual motorist.
Which leads to a great deal of "I have no idea about cycling so I know that it is unsafe, you were doing it wrong, and because you're a minority I'm prejudging you as a scofflaw based on a news article I saw once about someone else, somewhere else, breaking the law on a bicycle".
Well not sure Dave I agree with your writing this time .Been riding now over 70 years close to a million miles on a bike have never felt like a second class citizen. or as you put it "Redhead stepchild" When I started at age 12 in 1945 after WW2 cycling was a means of transport as well as for pleasure.Of course auto traffic was light, not many could afford a car, so riding a bike was one way to get to work or the local pub or shops. As you stated, cycle racing was not allowed on the streets and in the Midlands we also raced a lot on Aerodromes as well as the local parks.Unless we joined the rebel BLRC of course. I think accepting the fact that on a bike you have no chance in a collision with and automobile and riding with caution and been on the defence, has always been my attitude on the roads, I do think NOW with automobiles becoming almost self driving the ones driving them as less aware of cyclists and pedestrian's So I now only ride my bike on designated paths when ever possible. "Redhead Stepchild" Good reading as usual Dave, but not sure many will relate to that expression or have even heard of that.
70 years!! That’s an amazing achievement, John. Congratulations. But. with respect (I can only claim 50 non-continuous years), I must agree with Dave. In my experience, most drivers in the UK & Australia are either indifferent to cyclists’ safety, or aggressively hostile. Being a defensive & courteous road user makes little difference. My experience in Asian countries is different.