How ya doin'?........Fine....and you?

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a snob. We all are, really. Some people are snobs about what kind of tires are on their monster truck; some people are snobby about fancy food; some people are snobby about who they date or what they'll wear.; and some people are snobby about snobby people.

Being snobby doesn't have anything to do with money, it just has to do with the way we act about our certain favorite things. I happen to be snobby about some bike things. Not everything. Just some things. I don't care what kind of bike you ride, just don't mix spandex shorts with a t-shirt. And I don't care what kind of shoes you wear, just don't wear tall tube socks with green stripes. And I don't care how fast or slow you are, just don't be a jerk about either.

But what really gets me more than anything is the guy or gal who are too into themselves to acknowledge other cyclists on the road, be it crossing paths with them or together at a stop light heading the same direction.

It seems that there's a sentiment around that road bikers are snobby. And I can see why. Some of them act high and mighty....Look at me...I'm a bi-pedal mammal and I'm not encumbered by an automobile. It's like saying, "Look at me, I have the best of the sexually transmitted diseases...I have syphilis."

And I'm always reminded that you can't always wave to the guy who's saying hello — you might be following the Z Train down a canyon and it's all you can do to hang on to the draft, let alone raise a hand or finger in salutation. I get that. Sometimes all you can do it raise a few digits from the hoods to say "hey" to the guy who's waving from across two lanes of traffic on a commute. Or you can give a head nod to say as coolly as possible, "Wassup..." Minimal effort but maximum effect.

So last week I'm riding home from work on the new Legacy Parkway Trail...it's a great paved bike path with no stop signs, no traffic, and great views. You're close to other riders and runners, and it's easy to smile and say hello to everyone you see. And I like to say hey to people I pass.

So I see two cyclist coming my way...man and woman, just plodding along slowly and I say hello.

Nothing.

So I do what I usually do when I'm by myself and this happens: I respond to my own salutation...."I'm fine, thanks for asking."

When I'm with Z, he responds to me and makes me feel good.

I'm thinking, fine, that dude had a bad day, or it's really cold and he doesn't feel like chatting. I brush it off.

But then it happens several more times that day. And now I'm getting a little itchy about it. I know, I shouldn't let this stuff get under my spandex, but it gives every cyclist a bad name. These stone faced losers are no better than the snobby fixed gear riders who parade around SLC without helmets, running stop lights at will like they own the town, all the while smugly looking at anyone with gears and brakes like they're so last century.

Without fail, every time I ride my bike I come across some snobby road rider who's too good to wave, lift a finger, nod their head, or even wink at me. I should be used to it.

I guess it's like Larry Wall always says, "There's a reason those guys always ride alone." And he's right. Almost without fail, the ranks of the unfriendly are always alone. But it stands to reason that if a person was reaching out to you and you were a lonely loser, you'd welcome some socializing.

So lift a finger, any finger, just let me know you're there, that you're happy to be riding the roads in a free country, and that your seat isn't crammed so far up your chamois that you forgotten why we ride bikes.

Two wheels for life.