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Cyclists are… How others see us (according to Google)

User searches show less-than-flattering terms for cyclists, mixed news for runners and triathletes - though there's a positive result for Lance Armstrong...

Cyclists are a “hazard,” “untrustworthy,” a “nuisance” and “idiots.” That at least is the impression given by users of the search engine Google.co.uk, with its autocomplete feature adding those words, in that order, to any search beginning “cyclists are … “

After seeing a post on Facebook from Peloton magazine that flagged up the most common autocomplete phrases for “Cyclists are …" on Google.com, we decided to conduct our own research.

We’ve already mentioned the top four results if you are searching about cyclists in general, so we thought we’d look at some other terms – mountain bikers, road cyclists, taxi drivers and motorists on Google.co.uk to see what happened. Here’s what we found.

Mountain bikers are “stupid” or “awesome,” according to the top two results, while road cyclists are “snobs.”

London taxi drivers being “rude,” and motorists “selfish” are the most searched terms for those groups.

It's not all bad news for runners though top results may be "annoying," "jerks" and "weird" but the next one is "good in bed" - that's probably runners searching though, before "slim", "fat" and rather confusingly "slim/fat".

While triathltes may be "annoying", "selfish," "douchebags" they're also "hot" and "tough".

Results vary depending on which country version of Google you are on. In a country with a rich heritage in the sporting side of cycling, Italy, for example, “Ciclisti sono tutti dopati” – "cyclists are all dopers" – is the top result.

Switch to Google in the Netherlands, however, and the top result is transport, rather than sports related. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s “fietsers zijn asociale weggebruikers” – which translates as “cyclists are antisocial road users.”

This article from SEO Blog explains how Google arrives at those autocomplete results, and points out that for some individuals or companies, they can result in reputation management issues, and businesses exist to help weed out those unfavourable phrases.

Type in “Halfords are … “ and among the top results, you will get “rubbish” and crap; for those searching on one clothing brand that polarises opinion, the burning question is, “are Rapha clothes worth the money.”

Just in case you thought Google’s search algorithm is simply a gateway to a sea of negativity, there are search results that turn up positive descriptors of the subject in question.

Taking the Netherlands as an example, the results that follow that one about cyclists being antisocial cast them in an altogether more favourable light.

They are “happier than users of other modes of transport,” “good customers,” and, simply, “welcome.”

Fittingly, there’s a positive result for Lance Armstrong too, who can perhaps take comfort in the fact that he “is still my hero” comes out as the top autocomplete result on a search on his name.

For the record, the most searched terms on Google.com for cyclists were, in descending order, “Untrustworthy,” the charmingly Stateside expression, “douchebags,” “rude” and “a hazard.”

Of course, as any regular road.cc user knows, the only word that really completes the sentence, “Cyclists are … “ is “awesome” – and you can buy our window stickers to proclaim that fact to the world here.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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21 comments

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jacknorell | 9 years ago
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And if you do just 'cyclists' you get:

"Cyclists killed in UK 2013"

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Colin Peyresourde | 9 years ago
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Cyclists ate my hamster. Cyclists ate my hamster. Cyclists ate my hamster. Cyclists ate my hamster Cyclists ate my hamster.....

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barbarus | 9 years ago
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So if all of us google "cyclists are stupendous" 100 times a day will that make it change?

Other adjectives will be considered but I'm starting now.

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Leviathan | 9 years ago
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This article is a bit... Buzzfeed. Still, got to make time for the office party today.  36

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chokofingrz | 9 years ago
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You can also play the alphabet game by typing in "cyclists are" + the first letter of a new word:

Cyclists are...
A hazard, Better lovers, Cockroaches on wheels, Dangerous, Elitist, Fair game, Gay, Hot, Idiots, Jerks, More intelligent, Not rockstars, Obliged to use cycle paths, Part of the normal, Rude, Skinny, The worst, Untrustworthy, Weird.

Generally positive then...

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ronin | 9 years ago
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This is poor journalism. It didn't take me 10 seconds to find out the real reason is just sour grapes...

Try: cyclists make...  36

I concur...

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mingmong | 9 years ago
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Christmas is _ _ _ _ _ _  36

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Albert Herring | 9 years ago
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The foreign language versions aren't exact equivalents. Italian "ciclisti" would be taken to be racing cyclists, while Dutch "fietsers" refers to anybody riding a bike (i.e. just about everybody). Try "wielrenners zijn" for a more sport-oriented list - "klootzaken" tops the list, and is not exactly complimentary, followed by "irritant" (irritating) but also "goden" (gods).

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Sedgepeat | 9 years ago
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What's all this us and them or others? We're all or at least have been cyclists. From a driver's perspective though what is to like? Unless of course in commuter traffic when of course more cyclists may mean slightly less cars. Otherwise they are by definition an extra hazard, liability and impediment to drivers and to deny that is to deny the very concept of road cycling. I can acknowledge that even as a cyclist too.

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DaveE128 | 9 years ago
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I've got a feeling that this kind of thing is vulnerable to something equivalent to what a "google bomb" does for search results - people could presumably automate search phrases to raise them up the list?

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portec | 9 years ago
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If you type "lance armstrong is" then third in the list is:

"lance armstrong is he alive"

Now, I agree that he deserves a significant punishment for what he did but that's going a little too far!

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Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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The helmet debate is officially over.

Type 'Cycle hemets are' and see what you get.

Anything else that requires a quick trial by the court of internet opinion?

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portec replied to Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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Matt eaton wrote:

The helmet debate is officially over.

Type 'Cycle hemets are' and see what you get.

Anything else that requires a quick trial by the court of internet opinion?

Ha! I knew it!  4

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Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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In better news, it turns out that, as a BMXer, I'm hot (top result)

I might be gay too if you take the 2nd result.

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ragtimecyclist | 9 years ago
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If you type in 'cycling is...' the top result you get is '...the new golf'.

Which is even more worrying!

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Simmo72 | 9 years ago
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Ah, sorry, didn't get that far, got bored. Apologies.

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Steezysix | 9 years ago
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A "positive" result for Lance? No doubt it'll just get covered up like all the others...

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Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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If you type 'I hate' the fitfh most poular auto-complete is 'people'.

Maybe that explains why everyone has such a negative view on cyclists and motorists.

If you search 'bicycles are' you have to go down to 8th on the list to find such negativity and if you search 'bikes are' there's only one negative result in the top ten.

So we all hate each other by the sound of things....

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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Matt eaton wrote:

If you type 'I hate' the fitfh most poular auto-complete is 'people'.

Which I guess means the Anti Nowhere League predicted the future banality of the internet a decade or so before the cast majority of us had ever heard of it  3

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Simmo72 | 9 years ago
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Top of the list if you enter 'motorists are' is 'selfish', so it goes both ways.

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StantheVoice replied to Simmo72 | 9 years ago
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Simmo72 wrote:

Top of the list if you enter 'motorists are' is 'selfish', so it goes both ways.

Yes, it says that in the article.

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