Greetings; Etiquette on the road bike

When you get on a road bike, rules apply. Not just rules of aesthetics, but also rules of decency. One of the things that come with this is greeting fellow cyclists. I often wonder during my laps around the Utrechtse Heuvelrug; How come not every cyclist greets back? How often does it not happen that my friendly smile, nod and a small hand gesture are met with a glance into infinity?

Gentleman's sport

Cycling is a gentleman's sport (which does not mean that women do not count). We have traditions, customs and habits. We adore our steel/aluminium/carbon steed, we groom ourselves and we greet other cyclists. Since the subject is so hotly debated and I've heard from many quarters that they no longer greet because they don't get greeted back anyway, I didn't think it would be wrong to put ten commandments on that once and for all.

1. Helpless do not participate

Rule number one: Wear a helmet. The only way to greet this idiot is to clearly bring your index finger to your forehead. These cyclists do greet each other, by the way. When they sit together at the emergency room.

2. How to salute

How the greeting is performed is of great importance. The least you can do is to nod your head. In addition, it is desirable to take the fingers of your left hand, except your thumb, off the handlebars and extend them. This can, but need not, be supported by vocals. A small 'hi' will suffice. Taking both hands off the handlebars to swing is not only dangerous, you also look like a complete idiot.

3. Proactive attitude

Don't be afraid to be the first to greet, someone has to take the initiative and you will be surprised how often your greeting is answered.

4. Men greet women and vice versa

In my experience, women greet back more often than men. Why it is due to I don't know. Do women cycle slower? Do they naturally look around more? Are they simply more social creatures? In any case, it is well known that men can only do one thing at a time, in this case let it be greeting women. Because arousing an excited mood does not look very charming in that tight lycra. That could possibly be done later. It could all start with a simple greeting.

5. You don't have to greet every cyclist

In principle, we greet every cyclist on a road bike, including the fat-on-a-much-too-expensive-bike-with-open-bollocks cyclist, including that student with the flapping, washed-up, rabo-shirt from '98, and also that cyclist on the bike without matching colours of saddle and bar tape. Cyclists of a different kind, such as recumbent cyclists, city cyclists, recreational cyclists, mountain bikers and over-65s need not be greeted, it is allowed.

6. Greeting is not compulsory when overtaking

In principle, people only greet towards oncoming traffic. When overtaking, it can seem intimidating if you greet enthusiastically while the other rider is struggling. If you are overtaken and join a rider or group of riders, the least you can do is introduce yourself and ask if it is ok for you to join them for a few kilometres.

7. It doesn't matter what brand the other person bikes

I know cyclists who do not greet other cyclists when they ride on a particular brand. Let's get over that once and for all. What bike you ride has to do with taste, budget, personal preference and what type of rider you are. Ultimately, everyone is on a bike for fun and we can share this simply by a simple greeting.

8. A group is greeted twice

If you see a group of riders approaching you greet the front rider and the last rider, there is no point in greeting each rider separately. If you ride in the group yourself, it is nice to greet, but it is not compulsory. In principle, only the front and last rider of the group greet.

9. Pros are always greeted

When you meet a pro on a ride, most people are so obsessed that they forget to salute. However, a pro is among the happy few who climb on his bike every day, through all weathers. A respectful greeting is therefore in order. The nod then turns into a kind of short bow. My experience is that pros always greet back, hooking your cart and starting a conversation are not necessarily what they are after. So leave that out as well.

10. The only exception

If you are in the middle of a hard effort, it is possible that you have the snot in front of your eyes. In that case, you are excused.

If we all observe these rules, it will be a lot more cheerful and convivial on the country's roads.