Man refused Giant bike because of his weight; Vincenzo Nibali calls on pros to bin power data during races; Update on THAT cycle lane; Paris-Nice déjà vu as local authorities say final stage must be moved; A very Dutch problem + more on the live blog

I didn't pick up on this shop owner getting threatened and/or abused - that is indeed unacceptable. I just think they missed a good PR trick.

As well as not normalising obesity, I think there should be more efforts made to encourage obese people to make lifestyle changes without putting them up for ridicule. It's a shame that the bike shop didn't have anything more suitable in stock and I can understand that there's going to be a small market for beefed up frames and wheels, so it would've been nice if they could have phoned round their contacts to see if there was some bike builder that could help.

If the Canadians are anywhere near as litigous as their neighbours south of the border then I can understand why the shop owner wanted some irrefutable evidence that he had warned the customer that the bicycle was not suitable for his use due to a manufacturer quoted maximum rider weight limit. This is not fat shaming, it is protecting yourself from a potentially costly nuisance lawsuit. Though this might backfire as I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a claim for hurt feelings making its way to a settlement of some kind.

Muddy Ford wrote:

Lou Ferigno weighs more than 300lb, as do many serious body builders. 

Ah, but green paint is very heavy!

Nigel Garrage wrote:

The problem is that - rightly or wrongly - many see obesity as a lifestyle choice for the feeble-minded. The NHS itself says "Obesity does not happen overnight. It develops gradually over time, as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices". More rarely, obesity is as a result of medical or genetic factors, but in the main it's due to diet and lack of exercise.

Because of this it's considered fair game for people who wouldn't discriminate against immutable characterists such as race or gender.

You then have the added problem of a grown man crying because he couldn't ride what - for many - is a child's toy. Result: derision.

People react differently to rejection. For some, being told they were too fat for the bike would act as a catalyst for self-improvement (think Jose Mourinho's conduct and the way his staff react). For others, it has the opposite effect. So there's no easy solution, without taking the time to understand an individual's motivation.

I'm absolutely shocked the NHS couches obesity in such terms - and I'm not denying that they do, the quote is Googlable.

Obesity has so many factors, pinning it down to "lifestyle choices"  is incredibly lazy and reductive, and to see it written in NHS material is deeply shocking and disturbing. It seems the epitomy of victim-blaming from our supposedly scientific NHS (an institution I value)

Obesity is often a symptom of other issues in peoples lives, and has a strong correlation to environmental influencessuch as socio-economic background and current circumstance. Other correlations maybe mental or physical illness, childhood trauma, and a myriad of other factors.

You are objectively correct that people are derided as such, however, let us not forget it is the deriders who are doing that, not the victim. We all have a genuine choice in how we treat others. Personally I take no pleasure from deriding people who are in a position i would not want to be in myself, and I cannot comprehend why others do. 

The guy has displayed an open emotional reaction to a situation he found distressing. Whereas it may not have been my reaction, his upset is in no way detrimental to me, so it is not something that I'm going to try to humiliate him for.

How often have you (or anyone) ever checked the maximum load limit on a bike frame, though?

Only wheels

Never - I assume the wheels are going to be the weakest link and I have managed to break a fair few spokes and I'm not particularly heavy (~85kg)

I suspect that will depend on whether you think your weight maybe an issue or not. For average sized folk frames/forks wont be a problem,but I do know some custom wheel makers only rate upto 90-95kg rider weight to minimise on spoke counts,and that's only average rugby player weight.

Every time - it's the only reason I didn't get an Aethian a few years back (from memory that was a 90kg limit). I had asbolutely no need for a race frame but I loved the look of it and the engineering.

Hunt specifically market wheels for heavy people - working with ex rugby players I seem to recall, so if you're over 120kgs you can buy guaranteed wheels that are up to the task.

Prendas sell 8XL jerseys - to cater for the transition from rugby to triathlon that a lot of blokes do. OK, that's still only a 50-inch chest because Italian sizing but it's a big deal to be able to wear something that's identical to someone built like Nairo Quintana.

As much as I'd like to like FLAB they're still designing jerseys to cover fat. If I want to make a statement and wear a La Vie Claire jersey over my beer belly that's my choice, I don't want something dark and minimal to try and skim over the fat.

The hardest thing I found growing up was not being able to buy the same clothes as my peer group. I absolutely dreaded shopping because you'd go somewhere, see an amazing shirt, and then find it's not in your size. I could only make a statement with shoes, socks, ties, and hats.

Sebastian has probably encountered that and all it says is "go away fat boy, this isn't for you". It can be incredibly hard to fight back against fat shaming, it took me until my '40s and the love of my partner and friends to be able to do it. I'm still big but no longer ashamed of it.

My thoughts as well. The shop owner has missed a trick on this one. To turn round and say we'll hold your bike till you've shed a few pounds but in the meantime have this until then. Brilliant free advertising and spin off slogans. Cudos to Giant for offering to hold the bike for him.

What kind of bike could support 136kg ? And would you even be able to pedal it to move it ?

They didnt sell him the bike because if he bought the bike, rode it, it failed due to breaking its known max weight limit and he inevitably injured himself, who would be to blame and have to pay compensation and his medical bills?

Plus if he's that keen on the bike, order it online for home delivery, or find a less than 136kg friend to pop in the shop to buy it for you instead.

My take on all this was that it was all very "I am a victim, someone needs to compensate me".  Crying all night because he couldn't buy a bike even though he admits he hadn't planned to ride it yet?  Really?  Big Jesse.  136kg is more than twice my weight so we are not talking about someone carrying the odd pound or two. 

Bloke, just get a strong 'beer' bike, ride it, lose weight...hit your target weight and reward yourself with a nice bike...and use the 'beer' bike as a pub bike when your weight is right and weekly calories in matches calories out and life's natural balance has been restored.

@bobbinogs while I agree with your assessment of "I am a victim, someone needs to compensate me", the rest of your assessment is pretty unsympathetic. You sound very much like someone who has never had weight issues and therefore has no idea how difficult losing weight is, even if you're very overweight. Your victim-blaming (you're fat, do something about it)  is every bit as distateful as the blaming-cyclists-for-being-knocked-off-their-bikes bullshit we're used to reading about here. The bloke might be making a fuss about it but he's trying to get fitter and healthier and doesn't deserve your petty prejudices!

You've got no idea.

No idea how big a step it is to change your life when you're overweight

No idea of the guts it takes to walk into a shop and buy fitness gear

No idea of the abuse you'll get for being too fat to ride

No idea of people thinking it funny to shout "do you need a push mate"

No idea of people calling you a fat cunt and far worse than that for wearing lycra and actually doing something to improve your health

No idea of what might have led to him getting to that weight in the first place

Fat people are continually fat shamed - retailers not stocking a full range in plus sizes, advertising never featuring a fat person unless its to encourage them to lose weight, people naturally assuming that it's a choice and it's your fault that you're fat.

And we all know what a toxic relationship cycling has with weight, and not just in the female ranks.

Sebastian probably spent weeks wondering whether he should take action about his weight, many sleepless nights, clearly some sacrifices to save up. And then he gets knocked back once he's finally got the guts to do it? That's incredibly tough.

It's not fat shaming at all, the shop has a legal responsibility to ensure it sells bikes to riders within the manufacturers weight limits, else they would leave themselves open to lawsuits & legal claims.

I'd be more offended & annoyed had they actually sold him that bike,because the poor guy would then be riding a bike which could fail on him unpredictably at any moment and put him at risk of serious injury. There are plenty of moments when riding a bike where a failure of a major component like a wheel,fork,frame could be lethal.

So if hes not prepared to sign that waiver,because presumably he now understands the risk that it entails, and the shop hasnt got bikes that will support his weight, then how can they help him ?

It might be a good idea if every time he started worrying about his weight he went for a walk. Exercise has been shown to be even better for mental health than for weight loss. It would surely help him sleep better. And who knows, it might help him drop a few kilos.

We are in the midst of a global pandemic where obesity has been shown to greatly increase one's risk of death. Is this really the time to worry about people being "fat shamed?"

Yes, absolutely. Because being fat is not only a greater risk to your life because of COVID it also reinforces public perceptions of (a) the drain of fat people on society and the (b) narrative of "oh well, he was fat, that's why he died of COVID, it's his fault"

The pandemic has polarised opinion in all sorts of ways over this. The acceptance of care home deaths. The acceptance of the fact that it's OK for people with mental health issues or learning difficulties die of this disease proportionally more than others in their cohort. And then there's the mental health impact on people with a range of conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety, and so on. Sadly fear and uncertainty about the future has made many people care far less about others and be more entrenched in their views on all sorts of stuff.

cmedred wrote:

It might be a good idea if every time he started worrying about his weight he went for a walk. Exercise has been shown to be even better for mental health than for weight loss. It would surely help him sleep better. And who knows, it might help him drop a few kilos.

We are in the midst of a global pandemic where obesity has been shown to greatly increase one's risk of death. Is this really the time to worry about people being "fat shamed?"

The problem with fat-shaming people is that it's hurting their self-esteem and will likely make them want to hide away and probably continue comfort-eating. What we should be doing is seeing the person behind the body-shape and respecting their bravery for wanting to improve their health by taking up cycling - fat-shaming is not going to achieve anything positive at all. Cycling may be more suitable than walking/jogging for weight loss as it's low impact (swimming is also a good choice, but that's not so easy for someone that's sensitive about their body).