A Perth hotel has turned away a group of cyclists after a waiter told them that no one wants to see their sweaty junk while eating breakfast.
Canning Bridge Cycles owner Ross Powell said he was shocked to be told there was a “strict policy of no lycra” when he and three fellow cyclists turned up for breakfast on Sunday.
The hotel has denied they tried to eject the riders, with a statement on their Facebook page saying it was all a “misunderstanding.”
But despite this, the cafe has actually been flooded with support from lycra and leggings haters everywhere.
The issue, it seems, is etiquette surrounding appropriate breakfast “dress code” is murky. And lycra, if you’ve noticed, has been creeping into popular brunch spots for some time. It’s happening. #gymgeareveryday
Gym gear to the cafe or the shops, gym gear when you’re not gymming and have little intention of gymming or even have never gymmed in your life. It’s all increasingly normal but is there an underlying discrimination at play here?
Because no-one seems to have a problem when the lycra-clad cafe-hoppers look like this:
And Raffles didn’t seem to object to lycra at their New Years Eve party when it looked like this:
Source: Facebook
It’s men clad in cycling gear whose err, appendages, are on taut display that are the issue.
I ask you this: Why do we discriminate against MAMILS (middle aged men in lycra) who have selected a past time that is actually a pretty great way to reduce stress and increase mental and physical health?
We may scorn them but this is a demographic with a higher risk of weight related health problems: diabetes, heart disease, bowel cancer, and we should be encouraging their MAMILly ways.
Fat old men having a mid-life crisis can spoil the appetite.
Who wants to see fat old men on bikes you say? I do.
I want to see fat old men and women, skinny men and women, young, old, fit and gasping, all riding their bikes on a Sunday morning. In fact, I want them riding their bikes all damn weekend. Why?
We’re fat.Australia is the fifth fattest nation in the OECD. Those that get out there on their bikes should be spared the hate and applauded instead. And if cyclists want a coffee or brekkie after a ride, that’s ok with me too.
They’re not blowing cigarette smoke in my direction. They’re not dealing drugs, being racist or homophobic, comparing Nazi tattoos over poached eggs. They’re just exercising and ducking in for some muesli and an OJ afterwards.
Top Comments
What other sport would expect a group of sweaty unwashed particpants, still wearing their stinky exercise gear, to be welcomed with open arms somewhere like the Raffles? I don't mind when they take over the outside tables at our local cafe because the ventilation is good (although the bikes always take over the footpath), but I don't want all 20 of the pongy bikeboys inside with me.
I'm all for people exercising, and if they need, or want, to go out for breakfast or coffee afterwards, let them. It frightens me to think our next biggest cause of death will be obesity - maybe cafe's should install more bike racks and covered outdoor areas for people who have exercised to keep up with the need of the PUBLIC (not specific on sex, age or fitness levels)