« Recovering from the Trip | Main | What I saw on the ride »
June 19, 2006
Bike Shorts, Compression Socks and My Life as a Stripper
There were a couple of mistakes I made on my recent bike outing:
I didn't take enough water with me. Not that I was really concerned. I planned on refilling in Mechanicsburg and knew I could always stop at someone's home (this is the Midwest, after all). Still, I drink a lot and two liters over three hours isn't enough.
I should have written down the road names. Too many roads in the country have similar names. If making Mechanicsburg had been a solid goal -- more than simply cranking out 50 miles was -- road names would have really helped.
A snack would have been nice. An apple. A Snickers bar. Something.
There were several things I did that were thought out pretty well:
I bought and installed a tire pump.
I made sure I had some patches and tire tools.
I cleaned out my bike bag.
I bought bike shorts. The mail-order pairs should arrive later today but, as I was going out on a big ride, I drove by the sporting goods store and picked up a pair. They kick ass. And make the ass a good deal more comfortable.
The other day I had a 30-mile ride and finished that with a sore booty and some chaffing. I hoped that bike shorts -- as silly as they look -- might make the ride more comfortable.
I picked up a Lycra pair with gel in the tushy area.
Based on what I've read a person is not supposed to wear undies with bike shorts. Underwear would interfere with the ability of the garment to wick moisture away from your person. I shorted up commando.
Not only is there gel in the tush there's also some padding for the toolbox. So, in addition to being very comfortable, the shorts enhance the line of the male form. If I were a Chippendale dancer these would be the things I'd dance in -- for the aesthetic appeal and because, I'm guessing, that a group of women could cram about ten-thousand one-dollar bills down these babies. And the way these things fit, Susan B's and Sacajawea dollars wouldn't be out of the question.
I will never make, even to myself, snide comments about bikers wearing Lycra. I always thought these were Tour de France wannabe poseur-types. Really, they just had a better understanding of the equipment needed to ride comfortably.
I can only imagine how comfortable a long ride would be with bike shorts and my compression socks. I'm not sure that's a look I'm willing to test out right now.
But I'm betting each sock would hold several hundred ones.
Posted by delmer at June 19, 2006 12:27 AM