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Cycling is a magical world: two wheels, a bit of air, breath, subtly protesting thighs, landscapes, and sometimes even a filter coffee in a coffee bike shop at the price of a tubeless tire. And amidst this rolling poetry, there’s a mystery deeper than arm hair aerodynamics: cyclists who don’t say hello. Yes, them. These silent shadows of the asphalt, these ninjas of impoliteness, those who pass at 34 km/h without lifting a finger, an eyebrow, a nostril. Nothing. Social void. It’s as if they’re playing “Who will be the quietest in the peloton?”. And then one morning, in this jungle of carbon and compression shorts, Eddy Ficelle, aka the genius behind the Dans la Musette cap, posts a simple, beautiful, almost philosophical message on his Facebook: “Hello everyone, and even to cyclists who don’t say hello, because you always have to say hello. It’s the rule.” And then, everything lights up at 3bikes. We say to ourselves: Yes, damn it, he’s right. Why is it so hard to say hello?
By Jeff Tatard – Photo: @jefftatard
The mystery of the lost hello
Because really, let’s be serious for three seconds (no more). We can:
- adjust an electronic derailleur via a Bluetooth app even though we can’t cook pasta,
- understand the difference between a tubeless ready and tubeless compatible tire at 6 AM,
- ride for 4 hours without talking to anyone but read 372 Strava notifications in 12 seconds,
… but say “hello”? Oh no. That’s too much.
Besides, excuses are plentiful…
- “I was in my zone” (yes, the antisocial zone, perhaps).
- “I didn’t see you” (bro, we were alone on a straight road for 4 km).
- “I thought you had already said hello to me” (audacious technique).
- “I’m saving my watts for the headwind” (and smiles too, apparently).
The cyclist who doesn’t say hello is a bit like the ghost of the asphalt: we often cross paths with them, we always remember them, but it’s impossible to know if they truly exist in a friendly context.
The Dans la Musette school: saying hello saves lives (at least social ones)
Fortunately, there are lighthouses in the night. Or rather, lighthouses in the Sunday morning fog. And among them, Eddy Ficelle, cyclo-philosopher influencer, tragic wattmeter clown, bib short poet, and genius of “I’ll explain life to you while pedaling.”
When Eddy says you have to say hello, we listen. First, because he has a legendary cap. Second, because he’s right.
His morning reminder has the power of an unexpected tailwind: simple, invigorating, unifying.
Saying hello is the “take my emotional wheel” of cycling. It’s free, it weighs nothing, it doesn’t change your FTP, but it changes everything else.
Why saying hello is essential (scientifically or almost)
Fictional studies conducted by the International University of Saddle Politeness (UIPS… yes, we’re trying to be almost as funny as you, Dans la Musette), from which a good portion of 3bikes’ writers claim to be graduates, have shown…
- saying hello instantly increases social velocity,
- improves heart flexibility (the one in your chest, not the one on Zwift),
- decreases the risk of negative karma on climbs by 47%,
- and makes 100% of rides more enjoyable.
A simple gesture, a raised finger, a nod, a little “yo”, a smile caught between two swallowed flies… everything works.
Except indifference. Indifference is the flat tire of communication, guys…
Cyclists who respond: a species on the verge of reappearance?
What if, thanks to Dans la Musette and all those who spread the message of the sacred hello, we saw the reappearance of:
- the cyclist who waves even in the middle of an interval (eternal respect to them),
- the female cyclist who raises two fingers, even in the rain (queen of the peloton),
- the mountain biker who says hello even covered in mud (icon),
- the gravel cyclist who says hello to everything that moves, including cows (living legend).
Perhaps one day, we will live in a world where 99% of cyclists say hello.
The last 1% is normal: that’s the one who thinks they’re winning a Tour de France stage when they’re just going to get bread.
Conclusion: what if we tried, just to see?
So yes, we can ride silently. We can stay in our bubble. We can climb without a word.
But we can also: say hello. And maybe, let’s be crazy, smile.
Cycling is hard enough as it is: headwinds, climbs, numb fingers/toes from cold right now, tires that always deflate at the worst possible moment, motorists who think we’re made of rubber… so if we can give each other a little sign, a micro-piece of humanity at 28 km/h, then let’s do it!!!
Alright. See you on the next ride. And hello, of course.
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