Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I'm going to blame that on work and the triple digit, life sapping heat were dealing with, not to mention a little laziness.
Speaking of the heat, a friend of mine went on a short, easy, slow paced ride the other day and ended up stopping off at a bike shop. After doing a little browsing and chatting with the shop's owner he rode back home. While wheeling his bike into the house his wife pointed out something my friend found embarassing. There was a large clearly visible sweaty butt crack mark on his shorts. He was wearing a regular pair of cotton shorts, street clothes, with a pair of bike shorts underneath. He wondered how many customers at the bike shop had noticed and were quietly laughing at his sweaty butt crack.
I've said this before, if you ride in Texas during the summer you will end up a sweaty mess. It's really not a big deal if you are out riding strictly for a workout, but what if you want to stop off at a bookstore, grocery store, or anywhere non-cycling people congregate? How do you combat this, by this I mean the sweaty butts, back, pitts etc.? Blotting yourself with paper towels in the bathroom is futile. The sweat just keeps coming. I suppose you can either attempt to cover the offending sweat stains with some item of clothing or do away with street clothes during the summer in favor of some high tech quick drying fabrics. Maybe the best option is to just carry your helmet around with you so everybody knows the reason for your appearance. Any ideas?
I can't prove it but I think these insects have something to do with creating heat. They are cicadas (or chicharras if you live in south Texas), and their singing always seems to make the days hotter.
Update: Click here for an entertaining discussion on a related topic.
Quitcher whining, dearie. No strong headwinds this week - you can't have everything at the same time. Kowabunga!
ReplyDeleteSteve A-You got a laugh out of my wife over your comment. Looking at the weather with a "glass is half full" outlook, I guess the lack of a breeze could be considered a positive.
ReplyDeleteDid you say butt crack?
ReplyDeleteRantwick-Those before and after pics are great! You are a problem solver.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say it really isn't that bad, at least not yet. I think part of the key is to ride lazily when the heat kicks in. I've still riding, but I'm riding much more slowly than normal. The effect ends up kind of like when you first got out of your car and started riding. When you start riding slow, you see things you never saw when you were riding fast.
ReplyDeleteI listened to the cicadas as I rode down Overton Park East (which I've decided is my favorite hot weather ride, as it seems to get shadier as I travel south toward home ;- ). I saw a large turtle shoot through the dam at the low water crossing on the Trinity. I noticed that recumbents are getting more popular. And I watched some guys fishing under the Bryant Irvin bridge. When I ride fast I never notice any of that.
Summertime..... and livin' is easy.
102 is dang hot. I'd probably just stay inside in air conditioning. By the way, the link to Bikeforums is a hoot. Those comments are priceless!
ReplyDeleteI think your friend will just have to live with the sweat. At 102, I'm sure everybody is sweaty.
I'm sure that at 102 degrees that the recumbent riders are REALLY!!! sweaty.
ReplyDeletedamnnnnn. 100+ dont mess with texas...
ReplyDeleteI'll send some of our summer fog your way, right now ;D
My solution has been to start carrying my water bottle along. It gets over 110 and I'll start carrying two. It gets to 120 and we'll all stay home. Starbucks is great in this weather - refill the water bottle with a free cup of triple filtered ice water and you're good for another 10 miles.
ReplyDeleteIt ain't the lack of a breeze that's a positive, it's the lack of a headwind. Tailwinds are not to be sniffed at. A good stiff tailwind is good for two full minutes savings on my "to work" commute.
I never thought about it getting too hot, when its too cold you can just put on more layers. Too hot mmmmmm I think there is a law riding naked however it would irradicate those unwelcome stains.
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