"Doug" wrote in message
...
On this newsgroup are motorists who also claim to be cyclists but who
are highly critical of cyclists, which casts doubt on their claim to
be cyclists. So what, for the purposes of debate here, might qualify
as a cyclist?

May I suggest the following: 'If a person travels further each year on
a cycle than they do in a car then they can be regarded as a genuine
cyclist'.

Now, take some examples for evaluation. Someone commutes to work on a
bicycle but at the weekend bombs around in a car for fun. Conversely,
a person commutes by car but bombs around for fun and exercise at the
weekend on a cycle. What are they primarily, motorist or cyclist? It
surely depends how far they travel on each?

I think that when I ride my bike I qualify as a cyclist and when I drive my
car I qualify as a motorist. As a cyclist who rides most days and thousands
of miles a year I think that qualifys me as a fairly experienced cyclist. I
may however drive more miles in a car but that does not negate the fact that
I am a cyclist. Doug seems to think that cyclists and motorists are mutually
exclusive: that you can only be one and not the other.