Because, you know, it's not really athletic

Headling and sub-hed from today's BBC "Sport" section:

Sotherton keen to try cycling

Great Britain pentathlete Kelly Sotherton says she is keen to try cycling once her athletics days come to an end.

clicky

Belgian knee-warmers

I went for longish rides Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's was necessarily short as I had to sandwich a ride in between rain bands moving in from the SW.

Sunday was a typical March day - big dark clouds moving across the sun and when they did the temps seemed to drop 10 degrees. The chilling NW wind didn't help. I wore a winter jersey and long tights. I've never thought that being cold improved any activity.

As I rode along I spotted the usual throng of cyclists out on a sunny weekend afternoon. Many of them were wearing shorts and short-sleeve jerseys. Made me cold to look at them, especially the woman on the tandem who practically had her nose buried in her partner's backbone as she tried to keep out of the wind. I'll bet he has trouble getting her back in the saddle next weekend.

I used to see the same thing surfing this time of year, even though March is the month of coldest water in NC. The sun would come out, the air temps would go up to the 60s, and some jackass would be sitting next to you in the line up in board shorts. I used to enjoy watching their skin turn gray as the blood and core cooled off.

Belgian cyclists used to try to out-psych their opponents by wearing shorts in cold weather. What they did was smear grease or other emollients on their knees and forearms to break the wind. This was called a Belgian knee-warmer.

Anyway, today on the way into work I came up behind a cyclist who was headed up Hwy 86 and apparently commuting. There was something about his posture that looked odd and as I went around him I saw he was wearing shorts, a short-sleeve jersey, and a fleece vest (while warm, not known for wind-blocking properties). His posture was odd because he had one hand stuck into a vest pocket in an attempt to warm it. The temp when I left the house was 36F.

I suppose there's some value in trying to appear tough, but only if you are getting paid to do it. Otherwise, relax.

The crowd at Velonews spots the trends in cycling gear as witnessed at the ToC.

But claiming that the High Road jersey sports "70s surfer T-shirt lettering" indicates that someone's drawer of 70s surfer T-shirts is a lot different than mine.

Con Chrysalis, anyone?

Cold but clear

After Saturday's disappointment (forecast: mid-50s, partly cloudy; reality: mid-40s, blowing rain) I managed to get in a short ride Sunday. The sky was absolutely clear but the wind was still swinging through NW/NE which means that not only was it a cold wind, but it was either a head wind or a quartering wind for much of the course.

Good ride, though. I elected to spin for much of the route. When it's cold it's hard to work up any enthusiasm for downhill runs because you know you'll just end up with tears in your ears from the frigid slipstream.

Surprise

So the first weekend in March delivers not one but two days of superior cycling weather. Saturday was warm and I celebrated with a two-hour ride over one of my favorite routes. Sunday was cool but still dry and clear, so I did a one-hour ride that was much hillier.

Excellent. About the only advice I can give people in my age bracket is to find a sport they really enjoy.