Fred (bicycling)

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"Fred" is a derisive term used by cyclists to describe other cyclists, usually male, that appear amateurish and oblivious to cycling culture.

The exact qualities that define one as a "Fred" vary widely among regions and cyclists, but recently, particularly in the US, a Fred is somebody with higher quality and more expensive gear than his or her talent would warrant. For example:

A person watches the highlights of a few Tour de France stages, goes to a bike store and buys a Trek carbon fiber Madone in Team Discovery colors, along with Team Discovery shorts and jersey, and then rides it on a cycling path at 15 mph (25 km/h).

Such a person would be a prototypical Fred, especially if the jersey is yellow.

In the UK the earlier usage is more common—used by 'serious' roadies to refer to (often) bearded, sandal wearing, touring cyclists. The rare female Fred is a Doris.

This usage still survives in the US - David Bernstein, presenter of The FredCast says the term is "used by “serious” roadies to disparage utility cyclists and touring riders, especially after these totally unfashionable “freds” drop the “serious” roadies on hills because the “serious” guys were really posers."

[edit] Is a Fred just a poseur?

A Fred is generally too naive to be considered a poseur. A Fred is largely unaware of his or her status as an object of ridicule, and likely unaware of the Fred moniker. While it is common for cyclists to claim varying degrees of "Fredness", such self-derision indicates a higher degree of cycling cultural-awareness and would indicate that the commenter is, in fact, unlikely to be a Fred.

[edit] Word origin

The roots of the term "Fred" are unclear, though it purportedly originated from[1] a grumpy old touring rider named Fred.

[edit] External links

• Glossary of Biking Terms and Slang [2]
• The FredCast, a podcast about cycling [3]
• Triathlon Radio, a podcast about triathlon (The host, Jeremy Vaught, is a Fred) [4]
• The Spokesmen Cycling Roundtable, a roundtable podcast about cycling [5]