Glossy photos of girls on bikes!

I do understand what you mean, but you're dead wrong. Maybe the post wasn't aimed at me, but it was aimed at Will, who said that I was clever and thoughtful (his words, not mine I might add). By trying to undermine his comment by referring to posts I'd made and threads I'd started, like it or not, that *is *a personal dig at me! As I said anyway, if you're going to have a dig at me, at least try and undermine the argument, rather than the person who's posting - it only suggests you haven't got a strong and well-structured argument to respond with.

In any case, you keep saying that this wasn't aimed at me - maybe you'd care to explain what your intention of referring to my posting history was then?

Well, this is possibly a prompt for you to take your own advice above /\/\/\/\/. My posts on this thread were never aimed at you - regardless of the fact you started the thread. I appreciate the effort you must have put in to make some money for charidee, but whether it was your intention or not, the thread has been derailed into something else. I don't hold you personally responsible for this and haven't suggested it either. There's no need to take it personally or feel the need to respond just because I've taken issue with what someone else has posted on 'your' thread.

Lots of people have PM-ed me to thank me for taking a stand on this, while practically everyone I spoke to on the memorial ride supported my actions. I would still have said what I did whether a thousand people had said that to me or none. Surely the fact that some people don't like what people are posting on this thread is enough to reconsider its place, and whether its content is appropriate for a fixed wheel cycling forum?

I don't consider myself to be taking the moral high ground on this issue - nor do I consider myself in any way 'better' than anyone else just because I don't feel the need to grunt and high-5 over pictures of women. I just didn't think this macho-sexist culture actually existed on this site.

This thread makes me think of that Duff beer commercial from the Simpsons...

Women with Signs: Down with sexism! Down with sexism!
Man 1: Look at all those feminists.
Man 2: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
[they both reach for bottles of beer, shake them up, and spray the foam on the protesters. This magically turns them into dancing bikini models.]
Both Men: Yeah! All right!

Hi Mooks, well done for working out that the post was a dig at Will, I thought it was a little presumtious of him to state that you were 'clearly one of the smartest, most thoughtful people on the forum'. I now feel vindicated. You state 'like it or not, that *is *a personal dig at me' wheras what you actually mean is 'like it or not, I am taking it as a personal dig at me' . You then say 'if you're going to have a dig at me, at least try and undermine the argument, rather than the person who's posting' which is clearly a contradiction, that suggests you once again didn't listen when I said 'I have not sided and instead have listened and tried to learn'.
From what you've said it sounds like:
You would like to 'win' an argument that doesn't exist between us. There is no argument, I don't like your high minded, egotistical manner, that isn't an argument it is a fact.

You would like me and the rest of the forum to know that you have lots of friends who think your views are correctly aligned with theirs, that is what you need to feed you insecurities.

Your posts make me think of someone who was bullied but still can't work out why so wastes their time looking for acceptance and cause where there is none.