Plenty of overweight people jog/walking round your average marathon as well. I'd say the distribution of fitness/ability in cycling and running is pretty similar. The difference between the sports is mainly the expenditure. The cyclists I know don't look down in any way on running, just some of them choose not to do it.

There ya go. It's not because it's "too difficult". It's just one of millions of things that people choose to do or not.

What exactly do you mean by "snub" running? Not running themselves? Making disparaging comments about runners? What?

snub
verb
1.
rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully.
"he snubbed faculty members and students alike"
synonyms: insult, slight, affront, humiliate, treat disrespectfully;
2.
an act of showing disdain or a lack of cordiality by rebuffing or ignoring someone or something.
"he couldn't help thinking that the whole thing was meant to be taken as a snub"
synonyms: rebuff, insult, repulse, slight, affront, slap in the face, humiliation;

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Here's some recent examples.

I ran a 10K last week and happened to run by a couple of my roadie friends on their bikes, whom I waved to. The next day, one of them asked me, on a group ride, jokingly, "So - did you win???" Hahaha.

In a recent strava post, one of my roadie friends posted a short run. Two of his roadie friends commented on his post:

Roadie #1 comment:
"What is this run thing of which you have done? Apostate!"

Roadie #2 comment:
"You spoke my mind!"

On a recent group ride, main roadie asks "Where's Thomas?" Another roadie snears "He's running..." with mild disdain in his voice.

This is what I experience generally. It's no biggie, just kind of odd behaviour in my opinion. Some roadies are just kind of weirdly tribal I guess. Most are totally cool, but in my opinion there is definitely a small contingency of roadies who have general disdain for running or other endurance sports, including triathlon. Maybe they find it threatening? If yes, I just don't get that.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

If I were a betting man, I'd wager a large amount that you're oblivious to the context and reading way too much into any of that. None of that sounds at all more than run-of-the-mill poking fun/messing about rhetoric.

Don't need to be a betting man to see that.

I get it. It's just joking around, and maybe I'm just being too sensitive, but I don't see runners talk this way about other athletes. There is a just a weird tribal thing that goes with *some* roadies that doesn't really exist in other sports. Google it.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

I ride with a lot of roadies where I live, and they are a great group of guys. They know I run as much as I bike so they'll jokingly harass me......."what the hell are you doing? get a damn bike"...........when they pass me on a local trail or a city street.

Might very well be a “tribal” thing. For comparison you could reference this forum where you get “some” members who snub or disparage the roadie culture. Comfort in numbers I suppose.

It's simply that the "tribe" is much more of a thing in cycling than it is in running. The vast majority of cyclists (not so much triathletes) ride in groups at least some of the time, whether organised club rides or more informally with friends. Those rides often feature a coffee/cake stop before, during and/or after. And the nature of cycling is that there are often periods where you're spinning along at an easy enough pace to hold a conversation. In other words, loads of time to chat and build up a tribal culture with in jokes, terminology, etc.

None of that really exists in running. Running is a fundamentally solo sport, running clubs exist but I'd bet the vast majority of people who run do so mainly on their own, and even when they do run with others there's more panting and less chat.

Cycling also isn't alone in this - in UK there is plenty of (mostly) good-natured abuse between rugby and football (soccer) players and fans. And I used to row where we shared a river with a kayaking club and there was always plenty of mutual piss-taking and gentle snobbery (we looked down on them because they hadn't learned to use their legs, they looked down on us because we couldn't see where we were going).

Sort of this...easier to be a competent cyclist than a runner. At the local crit races, lots of guys still in in pack late that look like they can’t walk from the car to the bike without getting out of breath. Not the same picture near the front of a multi sport race. I do both, prefer cycling, and am predominantly a triathlete.

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Human Person

You’re claiming that where you live, there are guys hanging on in the A race look fat and out of shape? Where do you live? It’s not like at all here in Texas. Maybe in the B or C race. Definitely not in the A race.

You really don’t get it though. It isn’t that it’s just roadies who are “snubbing” other athletes.

It happens in swimming too. I might say that I’m going for a run. “Why would you want to do that?” Or “hells no.” is the reaction. It’s not really a true snub though, it’s just lighthearted banter, it has nothing to do with lack of respect towards running, I’d say a lot of it is a sign of respect. It’s another way of saying “good for you, that’s not something I’m willing to do”

You Gotta remember that one of the reasons that people are drawn to certain sports is because they don’t like to do other sports, and running is one of the few sports that nearly everyone on the planet has done. So everyone has an opinion on it. Doesn’t mean they don’t respect people who do the sport, even if they don’t like doing the sport itself.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Well if you're comparing the back of a bike race to the front of a triathlon. As pointed out, triathlon has its recreational walkers. Gran fondos have 12 MPH cruises. They both have skilled winners. There's no free lunch in this world.

Actually I do get it. It's all lighthearted, but I truly believe it's mostly found among certain roadies. You don't think a slightly higher level of snobbery exists in road cycling? Ever checked out the velominati? It's tongue and cheek, but there's a few that take that stuff somewhat seriously. Personally, I have never met a pure runner that snubs cycling, swimming or triathlon. Can't say I hang out with pure swimmers though, I tend to swim by myself. My point is, I think this "lighthearted attitude" towards other endurance sports is most common among a small contingency of roadies, especially in the Northeast

With all that being said, I love riding with roadies. There are few of them that bug me, but that's true of any group of people. Pure roadies are generally the best riders because that's all they do. That keeps the bar plenty high and inspires me to improve my riding!

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Funny, I am a triathlete but have taken to snubbing triathlete swimmers. What is it with the pile of toys that people bring to the pool these days? No one swims at my pool anymore, they just do drills with their assorted paddles, snorkels, and fins. Of course, they meticulously chronical their workout on their garmin. /rant

I'm in New York State, but have lived in the southeast too. And I'm talking Cat 3 and back mostly, but there are a few 2s that fit this bill too. If we're only talking Cat 1, then that's a different conversation but also probably not what the OP intended.

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Human Person

In the limited racing I've done, I'd nearly regard his post as pure trolling. I'd LOVE to go do a race there then. Also, depending on the crit course.....if it's an oval or a pan flat 4-corners deal......yeah, riders might be larger since there's no w/kg penalty. Just a wattage penalty. When you can be 85kg or more and 300w ain't nothing for you, you'll be fine in a 30min flattish crit.

I think the heaviest rider in my 4/5 road races have been like 180 lbs, but they were 6' tall and over. And got dropped like a rock.

Yeah, he's also comparing the guys who in all meaningful way actually DID get dropped in a crit from someone vying for OA or AG podium in multisport.

I'm pretty dumb as a bike racer, I don't have a lot of experience, but I'm 70kg or less usually and can toss some watts and meaningful attacks. I ran sub 8-min miles in the du I did. I don't even sniff Cat 4/5 podium in road race. In all intents and purposes, I got dropped. And the du.....16 OA and nearly got AG podium. Go figure, maybe I'm in the wrong sport. Just to prove it ain't a bunch of fatties rolling the USAC 3/4/5 races around here!

That was me (sorta) at swim today. Piled at the end of my lane I had 2 kickboards, fins, paddles, pull buoy, snorkel, and a water bottle. No Garmin though...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Thanks

Hardly trolling. It is just easier to be a strong rider than a runner. Fewer injuries, less pounding on the legs. Take a few weeks off and see which comes back quicker. Also, I didn’t say those guys were winning races, but they are in the pack later in the race with less than impressive fitness. The same scenario in multi sport doesn’t occur. If you’re not in the great shape, then that’s pretty much it. Snub may be a strong word, but there is a definite perception in the bike racing crowd that triathletes can’t handle a bike.

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Human Person

I'm a former Cat 1 bike racer who grew tired of breaking bones, and got generally disillusioned with cycling—the assholes in the bunch and the misery/ danger of riding in a big city.

Picked up running recently and it has been a huge lesson in humility. There are so many easy ways back to a reasonable level of bike fitness, but running mildly rewards patience and resolutely punishes impatience.

Have always had huge respect for elite runners, but now have as much respect for those getting it done day in day out.

Huge respect for anyone hitting podiums in either. Podiums require hard work, regardless of the sport.

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Human Person

You may or may not be trolling, but you sure don't appear to be arguing on good faith when comparing those near the front of a triathlon to just anyone in the pack of a cat-3/4/5 race

Also, no idea what you mean by people can't walk from the car to the bike without getting out of breath. For one thing, with the type of exertion required in cycling, even the best in the world struggle not to collapse on the floor after a race. Then again, the same could be observed in a 5-km, where even the winner might need a few moments to catch his/her breath before teetering off the track.

Relax dude. It was just comparison, and like any good story teller, I embellished to make a point And I didn't say all, but there are some really fast bike racers that don't look super athletic. And kudos to them. Running isnt for everyone. Pack racing is an equalizer and makes competence just a bit easier to obtain.

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Human Person