Come on give us a wave

Every year in Kona I entertain myself while out biking on the barren landscape by waving at everyone I see. This of course is completely normal in Christchurch. When two like minded cyclists cross paths it is normal for one to wave and greet each other. To ignore this gesture is considered most rude and on the odd time that happens in Christchurch I know that the person must be a visitor, or else in a middle of a hard interval. As I am a triathlete I also take this to the extreme of waving to runners when on my bike, and waving at cyclists when out running. This does sometimes get a few startled looks. However when in Hawaii it is a form of entertainment as the unfriendlies  have arrived this past week. These are the ultra serious athletes that you just can not get to return a wave or a smile. They bike past, you wave, and instead of waving back they just give you a good long scowl, (so it's not a case of a hard interval as they most certainly see you and have enough energy for a scowl which is harder than a smile I think). On my longer rides I entertain myself by counting how many waves I can get returned, unfortunately only about 10-15% this past week. Yes the unfriendlies have most certainly arrived in Kona as a couple of weeks a go I could get at least a 75% return rate.
Unfortunately the worst culprit is someone from my own country. Not only will this person ignore me when I say hello but when they pass by they always cut in front of my wheel causing me to brake suddenly or else meet my fate on the road. This is nothing new, they do this to me in every race, but race day is business day, training days are training days surely!
Anyway when I was at the pool chatting with a local girl (the locals are much more friendly than the triathletes) I asked her if she was looking forward to when the ironman was over so she could have the pool back to herself as the triathletes have most certainly taken over in that domain. She said "no she finds the triathletes and what they achieve very inspiring, but that some of the athletes are very full of themselves". Yes I certainly know what she means! I think it is sad in a way in a sport that is all about getting people of all ages and abilities involved, and inspiring future ironman athletes, that there are so many athletes which are doing the opposite. We have all worked really hard for the race and want the best results that is sure. But some need to take themselves a little less seriously and really enjoy the build-up to the race, life in Hawaii ain't that bad. What will be will be, all the hard work has been done, so if someone waves or says hello to you, how about giving a little smile or wave back!