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Daniel Whitmire
Professor Arnold
UWRT 1101-051
29 November 2014
Hitting the Streets: Ethnography of Cyclist
To most people, cycling is a less expedient way to travel from point A to point B, but to a
member of the cycling community it is a way to see and feel the world without being
encapsulated inside of a steel box on wheels. As in many human societies, there are schisms that
break within a culture, and cycling is no exception to this. Differences often arise in the
community as to which brands of bikes and gear are best to ride. Everyone has their own
opinions as to what company makes the best bike for the price range and this is due to what bikes
they first rode when first introduced to cycling. Though this discourse will echo through out
eternity, riders will always have the shared commonality of how much they love to cycle on the
open road.
Upon learning about the cycling community, I went on several group rides with riders
from the triathlon team, cycling club, and bike line staff who set up a ride every weekend. While
on the riding on the roads with the groups, there was a large gap between those who dont cycle
that prefer to drive everywhere, and those who live for it. Before I rode, I consulted the laws that
bicyclist have to obey when riding on the road in North Carolina. These laws ranged from using
your arm to turn within 100 feet of a turn, to staying on the right side of the road when possible
(Assembly). As I read through the laws, they seemed really flexible as to what a cyclist can do.
For example, if there is an available bike lane on the right shoulder, it is up to the riders
digression if they want to use it or if they would rather ride on the right side of a car lane. This as
References
Assembly, G. (2004). Bicyclist and the Law. In A guide to North Carolina Bicycle
and Pedestrian Laws (pp. 1-15). Raleigh: Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian
Transportation.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off [Motion picture on DVD]. (1986). United States of
America: Paramount Pictures.
P5 Triathlon and Time Trial. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from
http://www.cervelo.com/en/bikes/p-series/p5.html