Sunday, June 2, 2013

BICYCLE AND ASSORTED UNDERWEAR WOES

You might be thinking, what could bicycles and underwear possibly have in common? Let me tell you, they have plenty in common, especially because one is particularly close to the other. Like I've been doing for a while now, I go riding with a bunch of people on Saturday, yesterday was no different. Except that yesterday was really warm and for some reason my performance on the bike was not as good. The group I ride with is made up of people, both men and women, of different age ranges, but there are quite a few around my age. Usually the group splits up in three separate groups after a few miles, the advanced groups goes out the farthest and they keep a pretty fast tempo for the ride. The intermediate and slower group go on shorter rides, with the intermediate usually keeping a speed around 20mph. Most of the ladies do the short one, I do the intermediate one and though I can't always keep up with the younger guys, I do ok.

Except for yesterday. I was literally bringing up the rear of the intermediate group. The only other girl in the group, who was drafting off of two other guys, yelled as she was going by: "you're doing good"! Them r fighting words...Well not really, I'm sure she meant no harm, but being the competitive pain in the ass I usually am, what she yelled didn't sit well with me. Alas, there was nothing I could do because....my underwear was in the way! Yep, if you ever see a cyclist in apparent agony, squirming on the seat, moving in and out,up and down, it's probably the result of underwear malfunction. This might be a little too much information, but there are some guys in the group who don't wear any...I know, TMI right?

The real question is what kind of underwear should one wear underneath spandex pants with enough padding to put to shame baby diapers of all sizes? Given all the pedaling and movement of the hips and butt that happens on a bike, that question is of paramount importance. Regular underwear cuts right through the inguinal area, those boy short models are even worse cause now your thigh muscles are involved. What about those granny panties? Not a fan. But I can't go commando, to me it's a question of health and hygiene, I don't know how some people do it. So, this is my dilemma of the week, and I better solve it soon, cause you know where I'm going tomorrow....

7 comments:

  1. I never realized that was such a big problem!!

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  2. the wimp that I am would give up biking before I'd give up my underwear!

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  3. Hmmm. Favorite Young Man wears spandex cycling shorts that have a padded butt for increased comfort. I have no idea what he does about undies and don't want to know.

    Love,
    Janie

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  4. When I was training for my one and only sprint triathlon,I wore a man's speedo. The long kind that they wear in the Olympics. They were comfy. Then I washed them.

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  5. Never would have thought undies were a problem when cycling. Wish I could help you!

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  6. I was seriously just thinking about this yesterday night while cycling. I was in absolute agony, and not because of my legs or my lungs. If you find the answer for the boy equivalent, do let me know!

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  7. Could you just get a seat with a little more padding? That might be easier. I guess you can tell I am not a biker.

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