Looking Good In Cycling Shorts
Well, the bike's out of the shed and dusted off, I've just fitted my new Terry butterfly saddle, squeezed myself into three-sizes-too-small cycling shorts (that fit like a glove the last time I wore them back in 2002) and now I should be raring to go, right...? Wrong. If I looked like the woman in this photo I'd be out on my bike like a shot, but if I venture out in aforementioned too-tight shorts it's more likely that I'll BE shot - or harpooned!
As every serious female cyclist knows, a good pair of cycling shorts are essential to protect one's - um - tender bits, but why do they have to be so skin tight, and hence unforgiving toward every bulge, dimple and fat deposit? I may as well just fit a neon sign above my head telling people where to direct their ridicule.
But I'm a mature woman, right? I can handle catcalls and sniggering...can't I? Besides, having taken ten minutes to get the bloody things on, I can't seem to get them off again, so I may as well just bite the bullet and get on with the exercise.
Update
Well, I went out in the Shorts-of-Shame, and though small boys snickered (not to mention the odd grown-up) I stuck it out for 30 minutes, and came home knackered, drenched with sweat - it's HOT here today - and with my leg muscles twitching from the unaccustomed exertion...either that, or gangrene and DVT are setting in from the lack of circulation to my lower extremities! Actually, after the first few self-conscious minutes, I started to enjoy myself. The new Terry saddle cushioned in all the right places, and I not only managed to brake without catapulting myself over the handlebars but also succeeded in unclipping my SPD shoes without requiring a trip to A&E. Huzzah!
I've decided to add cycling to my exercise rota, so that I don't get bored doing the same thing too often - I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to exercise. I'll aim to do a couple of hour-long brisk walks, a couple of fifty minute rebounding sessions, a couple of cycling circuits and one or two advanced taebo sessions each week. Then maybe next time I post a picture of a fit, svelte woman in cycling shorts in this blog, it'll be a self-portrait!
