Something I saw road biking in Italy vs in the US is that there is a vastly bigger 'casual' set of people doing it in Italy. It seems like that's less prevalent in the US; you're either really into it or not much at all.
It seems like this happens, sometimes in the US... for years beer in the US wasn't that great, and then there was this craft beer explosion, whereas in, say, Austria where I lived for a while, they are still drinking their local beers which are pretty good but don't have so much variety and experimentation.
That's one of the first things I noticed when I moved to the US. Not sure if it's specific to the US or maybe just the Bay Area or even just a sign of the times, but it seems like it's impossible for people to "kind of like" something. They immediately have to be really into something, be it beer, cycling, photography, to the point where it becomes their entire identity. It doesn't bother me too much. I'm still happy just enjoying craft beers without memorizing different hop strains, but it's definitely a little odd.
It seems like this happens, sometimes in the US... for years beer in the US wasn't that great, and then there was this craft beer explosion, whereas in, say, Austria where I lived for a while, they are still drinking their local beers which are pretty good but don't have so much variety and experimentation.