to find this kind of attitude quite off-putting?

[Ellybellyboo]

I've recently given up smoking and I'm at that point where, if you stand still too long, I'll eat you.

I'm used to not really having to worry about weight, but I'm now being a bit careful. Not on a diet as such, just watching what I eat and I've started cycling into work

It feels like everyone I work with is a huge fitness fanatic as apparently I'm doing everything wrong.

My bike is wrong (I have an ancient, old fashioned job with about 3 gears and a shopping basket), I'm wearing the wrong clothes (my jeans, a hoodie and a pair of trainers). My lunch yesterday was all wrong (a cheese and pickle sarnie and a toffee Muller light yoghurt).

It takes me about half an hour to cycle to work - this is too slow, I should be able to do it in 10 minutes, I'm not working hard enough, blah, blah, blah

They're so critical and over the top, it's really putting me off.

I once produced a leaflet entitled "The noisy aircon unit - your questions answered"

Genuine huge LOL! I love this!!

It happens on here too. Someone will post about getting off their arse and trying something and they'll get belittled for not doing 10x as much.

Well done for getting on your bike and for stopping smoking.

"All the gear ... no idea."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
this

I work in a large company - It happens there is a small group of young men who are international standard cyclists - (I know them because they like cake - a lot! and I like to bake more that I like to eat baking)
There are also several groups of only slightly older men who is also cycle -

One lot likes to talk about it all the time - bring in gear to show off - wear lycra whenever possible are fixated on swapping performance data and give lots of unwanted advice -
the other occasionally uses the phrase above.
Pretty easy to work out which group is which.

Enjoy yourself - isnt the point of giving up smoking so that you have more money to enjoy yourself with and more life to do it with?

I love the leaflet, that's fabulous. We should do all the advice and answers and Elly can keep the leaflet on her desk.

The title can be 'Socially appropriate ways to deal with your urge to offer Elly advice'.

Advice: Elly could and should cycle faster, I can tell her how.
Response: Elly is perfectly content with her speed. Mind your own business.

Advice: Elly needs a better bike, like mine. I need to point out all the flaws of her bike.
Response: Elly is perfectly content with her bike, and happy for you that you think your bike is better. Mind your own business.

Advice: I have loads of diet advice that I need to give, I don't care that it comes across as me calling Elly a fatty.
Response: How incredibly rude. Mind your own business.

Advice: You just can't ride a bike without specialist clothes, Elly needs to know this.
Response: Anybody can wear any clothes that they fancy to ride a bike, the bike will still go from A to B. Mind your own business.

Advice: Elly needs to go running in her lunch hour.
Response: Elly can do whatever she wants to in her own time. Mind your own business.

Advice: I have every right, indeed a responsibility, to examine Elly's lunch and any snacks and comment on it negatively.
Response: No you don't. Mind your own business.

Have I left anything out?

They can all fuck off and then fuck off again whilst fucking off.

I too took up cycling to places after quitting the fags. I have 'the boneshaker' no suspension, no gears, basket on the front.
To begin with I'd walk my bike up the hill outside my house. The next week I could cycle red faced and standing up the hill. Now I can whizz up it sitting and just get a little burn in my legs.
I have a 40 minute walk to work. To begin with it would take me 25 minutes to cycle there. Now it takes around 17 minutes.

It will improve, and very very quickly.
But that's nobody's business but your own.

tell them to get on their bike!

All the gear no idea
ATGNI
Swap letters around and you get GIANT!
Every time someone starts, just say GIANT to them.
They will be stumped have no idea what you are talking about but you will know.
And you can smile and walk away!

hobby-cyclist you see here dressed in spandex will cause laughing attacks back at home

Exactly. People cycle in thier everyday clothes in the rest of the world. I agree with what pp said about all this "fitspiration" bollocks driving this new fitness lifestyle trend. Social media reflects such a narrow view of the world, your colleagues need to get out more. But mostly they need to just fuck off.

Well done on giving up the smokes!

BlackAmericanNoSugar That is brilliant!! OP, do make up a leaflet with this content and either hand it out with a smile to every person who offers unsolicited advice. You shouldn't need may they will soon get the message

The comedian Bill Bailey came up with this acronym:

DILLIGAS

Do I Look Like I Give A Shit?

Oh WHY do people think that cycling is only the real deal if you race about with a label smacked across your bony arse?

Everyone who does that looks like an amateur, like they saw Bradley Wiggins go past them a couple of years back, went and bought the kit and have been a slave to The Cult of Bike ever since.

I go cycling - slowly - with my fecking jeans on. Take that, lycra suckas!

Thanks all

Pissing myself at the idea of a leaflet to hand out.

I think that's how I'll be spending my afternoon

I'm still at the stage of getting off and pushing uphills, but I do feel a lot more sprightly if that makes sense. I use a cycle path (this is another example of how I'm doing it wrong as it's not as hilly as the main road way), but it's along a river and it's pretty and I see lots of dog walkers so we all say good morning to each other and it's just nice

And I don't wear Lycra as a look fucking stupid in it!

Cycling for transport (not fitness) is one of the most enjoyable things. Ignore them OP, lots of people have an obsession with equipment. I quite often cycle 20 miles each way into work in the countryside on my hybrid even though ive got a full on racing bike as it is nice to just cruise along the country lanes without working up a sweat. It takes me about 2 hours to get to work compared to about an hour, but it is such a nice way to start the day. and i don't have to break into a massive sweat!

I love to cycle. I've been known to wear lycra (it really is more comfortable for long distances). But for commuting, I ride an ordinary bike and wear ordinary clothes. Your colleagues sound like a pain in the arse

Ha at the running at lunch time comments.

When I started my new job, my colleague said to me 'do you run at lunchtime?'. The look on my face said it all!

I think you are doing really well cycling in to work and adressing your diet : there's always some idiot who will call you on something!

Tell them to Sod off.

Middle-Aged Men in Lycra = Mamils.

It's good advice but presented badly.
It's a bit like having a new baby everyone has advice but it's easy to miss the useful bits when them come with totally inappropriate to your situation advice wrapped in dictatorial knowitallness.

Sounds like you are doing great OP. I used to run (have small baby so not done it for a while) and a guy who was really into marathons kept trying to give me advice. I just wanted to run a few times a week and not die on the half marathon I was training for. Telling me I should be doing a 15 mile run after work unsurprisingly didn't go down well. Am on mat leave at the moment and was not devastated to hear he has handed his notice in!

This thread reminded me of this video which always makes me smile!

Well done elly. I believe adding a bit of calorie burning transport into your everyday routine makes it a way of life rather than a fad! Who cares about hills, this is not your hobby. Well done on giving up smoking too. They'd hate my 16 year old heavy rusty lilac mountain bike, but it did 20k on a triathlon (very slowly!) Never again though!

My bike is my transport, not a fitness regime.

I like taking the scenic route at my own pace.

What a lot of killjoys/biking bores at your workplace!

"It takes me about half an hour to cycle to work - this is too slow, I should be able to do it in 10 minutes, I'm not working hard enough, blah, blah, blah"
Yes you probably could do it in 10 minutes if you wanted to get into work hot and sweaty! I suggest this become a paragraph in your forthcoming leaflet.

What a lot of killjoys/biking bores at your workplace!

I reckon about 75% are into fitness of some kind.

Every Monday morning I can guarantee there is someone banging on about an amazing bike ride/run/workout they did at the weekend. None of them ever seem to go out, get drunk and come home with a traffic cone on their head.

You have got absolutely the right bike - you are accelerating your heart rate for 30 minutes as opposed to the only 10 minutes they are suggesting is optimum.

Keep doing what you are doing.