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Parisians like to make a difference. In Paris, that means riding a bicycle. Riding a bicycle is green. And green is good. Good for the environment and good for you. Some ill-intentioned right wing people will argue that physical effort in the midst of traffic is not physically recommendable but they are party poopers
Besides its obvious greenness, bicycle riding offers clear advantages over cars riding: bicycles in Paris are quicker and easier to park than cars. Yet, before jumping on a bicycle to save time and the environment, one may want to be notified that in Paris, riding a bicycle carries high political implications.
While pedestrians tend to look at cyclists with a certain affection, a real political ware is waged between cyclists and car drivers. They only interact through insults and arm or finger actions. Not only because they endanger each other lives but more realistically because one cast judges the other politically.
In short, cyclists in the eyes of motorists are left wing, dangerous and unemployed punks. While motorists are seen by cyclists are self-centered, polluting and vulgar right wing individualists. Such a war comes to a pause each weekend, when motorists decide to ride their bicycle with their family; soon enough though, the newly found cyclist will insult motorists around for being self-centered, polluting and vulgar right wing individualists. There is a clear hierarchy in Parisian bicycle riders. Riding a mountain bike is pitiful (do you think this is a sport?). Riding a Velib is ok (yet uncomfortable). Riding a ˜vélo hollandais’ takes you to the pantheon of Parisian bicycle riding.
Important to notice that a Parisienne, when riding a ˜vélo hollandais’ will immediately gain favours of all surrounding males.
Useful tip: You need a chip in your credit card to use theVelibs. Ride with a Parisian if you don’t.
Sound like a Parisian: « Je me déplace partout en vélo ».
Tags: bicycle, bike, Paris, renting a bike in paris, riding a bike in Paris, Velib
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Vive la vélorution! As a Montréalaise who was among those who championed the vélorution – riding in town, in everyday clothes, and fighting for bicycle lanes and other facilities, I am thrilled that cycling – and cycle-chic – have experienced take-off in Paris.
I cycled in Paris some 20 years ago, and it was not a pleasant experience.
I ride an old Raleigh Sprite, British city bicycle, not very different from the Dutch bikes but a bit lighter and more speeds (6). Well-adapted to cycling in normal city clothing.
I hate mountain bikes, unless one is actually “mountain-biking”. They are not adapted to city cycling, and actually one of the reasons for the prevalence of bicycle helmets in some benighted lands, because their centre of gravity is wrong, and falling off, you really do risk bumping your noggin. People fall off urban bicycles sideways.
For chic pics of Dutch and Danish cyclists: http://www.amsterdamize.com http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com
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