When I started a new job a few years ago, my supervisor introduced me to colleagues as an “avid cyclist”. I politely smiled and nodded as my boss pigeonholed me as some sort of bike-riding freakshow.
Later in the day I had some time to think through what it meant to be an “avid cyclist”. I concluded it's a term people who don’t bike use to describe anyone that rides a bike for transportation. If my boss had known me a little more, they might have learned that I ride a single speed bike, do not own bike shorts, do not have a hat with a tiny brim, don't clip into my pedals, not a member of cycling clubs, and do not fit the description of what they were describing.
I use my bicycle for convenience, exercise, and generally as a means of transportation. I only wear bicycling gear for all day rides or or multi day trips. Biking to me is not a political statement about fossil fuels or some way to show off expensive gear I've bought. People do not introduce others in the office as “avid motorists” if they drive to work. I felt like I was being described as some sort of circus freak: “wow you ride your bike, look at you!”
Look at the picture of me above. This is at the end of a 30 mile ride in Dutchess County at Walkway Over the Hudson: single speed bike, no drop handlebars, normcore shoes, asparagus shirt, a helmet I got for free, and my helmet straps aren't even done right.
What is wrong with the whole situation is that riding your bike should not be considered a political statement. Biking to work needs made as easy as driving to work. That includes end to end facilities for cycling: secure indoor bike parking at both your residence and work, safe protected continuous bicycle facilities (lanes, separated paths), as well as shower and locker facilities at your office.
Showers at the workplace are critical for a few reasons. Part of the perception of the avid cyclist are the outfits, such as the bike shorts and aerodynamic clothing. While I generally don’t wear the gear, many do, and shower facilities give people the ability to wash and change into normal work wear without entering the office in goofy outfits. This also helps with the perception by some that cyclists “smell”. Amenities like showers should hopefully give more office workers the choice bike to work!