n.
An aggressively rude or reckless cyclist.
Example Citations:
Here, Simonetti is not some "Lycra lout," some "Lance wannabe," or any of the other epithets often hurled at cyclists. He's simply Joe. He's the guy who rides his bike to work.
—Tom Vanderbilt, " Rage Against Your Machine: http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-201103-new-york-bike-commuting-sidwcmdev_154507.html," Outside, March 2, 2011
As the Daily Telegraph's transport editor, I am only too aware of the horrific statistics of cycling casualties, and I share many of the feelings of readers about "Lycra louts".
—David Millward, " My daily route to health: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/7544237/My-daily-route-to-health.html," The Daily Telegraph, April 19, 2010
Earliest Citation:
Reckless cyclists who ride on pavements are to be hit with £20 on-the-spot fines, it was announced last night. The move follows demands for action against the 'Lycra louts' from police chiefs concerned over record numbers killed or injured by cyclists.
—Ray Massey, "£20 spot fines for 'Lycra lout' cyclists," Daily Mail, January 13, 1998
Notes:
Another sense of this term refers to a gym member who is rude or self-absorbed, and this sense is slightly older:
Still, when hard-impact cardiovascular exercise was in vogue I devised my own workout which never failed to, as the Lycra louts would put it, raise my heart rate to its training zone.
—Paul Hawkes, "Soap Box: Poorly targeted mail should earn a good thrashing," Marketing, January 16, 1997
Related Words:
Categories:
New words. 2013.