During my cycling "career" there have been many peaks and troughs in my average weekly mileage. An observation I've made is that my weight seems to be inversely correlated to my mileage. Strange that! This is all well and good for the lucky few who can be consistent in their training (darn pros!) but a bit of a problem for those of us who have a life - or at least a life that impinges on our cycling.
Cyclists, as a whole, want to be lite. There are a few exceptions to this... trackies - a strange breed who are big, tough, fast, yet scared of both hills and races that last more then 4km. Anyway, cyclists want to be svelte. If you were to ask a cyclist why this is they would mumble something about their power to weight ratio and cross sectional area. They are lying! The real reasons are:
- cyclists wear Lycra. Lycra is unforgiving. What can be hidden with a well chosen shirt will be there for all to see in bike kit;
- cyclists shave their legs. Whilst this will elicit no sympathy from my female readers (hi Mom) shaving takes time. The bigger the legs, the longer the time. Fat legs take longer to shave;
- cyclists lie. Well ok, pad the truth. It's hard to convince people you are a professional rider when you look more like the team bus.
Clothing is another consideration when one has weight that goes up and down like a fiddler's elbow. Not so much bike kit - Lycra will stretch - but what one wears off the bike. A cyclist's weight change can be such that the old clothes just don't fit any more. Common approaches to this problem include:
- have one set of clothes that fit the top of the cycle. The upside: you never face the embarrassment of having to go shopping because your clothes don't fit. The downside: when you are at the bottom of the cycle it looks like you are a kid playing dress-ups with your parent's clothes;
- have one set of clothes that fit at the bottom of the cycle. The upside: when you are looking your best, you look your best. The downside: it's not only your bike kit that makes it obvious when you are becoming all you can be.
- have two sets of clothes catering for both the top and bottom of the cycle. The upside: you look spiffy all the time. The downside: you would have to stake a claim for space in the wardrobe above and beyond the tiny corner you have been allocated by your significant other. Best of luck with that!
Maybe I'll just take to wearing Lycra all the time. Now that would lead to divorce!
Tortoise
