LycraKeen

On most Saturday mornings there is a special treat of cyclists gathering for various group rides. I am lucky to live very near one of the largest bike shops, and a lot of people wearing spandex meet there. The best part is when everyone shows up to get ready, as if there is an unspoken ritual to put yourself and your bike together in public for everyone else to see.

Usually the hottest thing to see is watching a young fit cyclist get dressed to ride. He gets out of his car, and he’s wearing t-shirt and shorts, so no big deal. Then off goes the shirt, and the shorts go down, revealing the cycling spandex that was already put on underneath. He basks in this near-nudity for a while, stretching (read: posing), and probably enjoying this socially-acceptable way to show off what he’s got. Oh wait, there is still something in the car, or something on the bike to adjust, so while that’s getting done there’s no hurry to put on any more clothes.

Guys (myself included) like to show that we are serious enough to have them and wear bib shorts. Part of the fashion statement is to have those shoulder straps hang down when we’re not riding. Without the elastic bands on the shorts the spandex is barely hanging on to our tight little butts.

Finally, I like to see guys pull up the bib shorts over their shoulders, then put on the rest of the outfit: jersey, socks, shoes, all that. Now we’re ready to ride and check out everyone else’s equipment for the next two hours. When all that’s done we don’t mind hanging out in spandex. Because yeah, we were just riding our bikes, and take a look at what I’m packing down there.