It's a shame. Thirty or forty years ago I was commuting by pushbike thousands of miles a year. My route for years included the incredibly busy road from Woodford towards central London and often through Chingford High Road and on the South Circular. There were rush-hour jams all along the way. I weaved in and out of traffic all the time. I never ran a red light or cycled on a pavement. Not once did I encounter any aggro or intimidation from motorists. It seems that the culture has changed radically. I notice that in London these days the roads cater for cyclists far better than they used to. A cyclist is quiet, non-polluting and takes up little space. Every town and city should be treating cyclists far better, in terms of separating them from traffic, than many of them do. Having said that, being a cyclist doesn't mean being a saint. No cyclist should ever cycle on a pavement (small children excepted) or jump a red light. It's complicated, but those two rules should be immutable.

By the way, unlike my cycling son I never wore Lycra. I found baggy shorts (with the chamois gusset) and loose tops far more comfortable and far less likely to attract the automatic "look at that twat" reaction that lycra does.