Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Only in Cycling ...

"It is a very strong feeling to wear the pink jersey ..."

This was said by Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) as the leader in the Giro d'Italia. This is one of the funniest out-of-context quotes I have heard in a while. And yet, even as an amateur cyclist, I agree with him.

Speaking of pink, I think it is funny that I totally want to win this bike. If I won it, would I sell it and buy one that wasn't pink? Nope, I'd take it, pink and all. (Though, I think that pink saddle with the ribbon is a little too much for me.)

And I get heckled on my own blog because I don't shave my legs. (Note to Anonymous: I have thought about it before. Then I came to the realization that I'm not fast enough to justify the extra time spent maintaining that. Also, it would freak my wife out.)

I have a buddy that is an ex-professional football player. He was a linebacker. He's huge. His hobby is collecting guns. He hunts. He drives an old beat-up jeep. When I talk with him about cycling, it is funny to see the sport through his eyes. Not that he thinks it is ridiculous or anything, but when I step back and think about it from his perspective, I almost think we are.

I love the sport. I love the clothing. I love the bikes. I love the technology. I love the strategy, drama, suspense of professional cycling. I love the pain I suffer through. I'm totally looking forward to LOTOJA beating me up and dragging me 206 miles down a street. I even love the pink.

5 comments:

James said...

Fly that freak flag, Pink boy!

Anonymous said...

about shaving your legs, you said: "
Then I came to the realization that I'm not fast enough to justify the extra time spent maintaining that.
"

I thought cyclists shaved their legs in order to stop hairs from growing back in to their road-rash from when they wipe out ;)

Jon said...

Oh, they give lots of reasons, but I think it is 1) to show of their huge muscles (which I'm still working on), and 2) because everyone else does it.

It seems to me that shaving your legs in the off chance that you could crash is a little odd. I mean, if they were planning for a crash, wouldn't they just wear protective gear all the time (like motorcycle racers)?

That said, I just reviewed a pair of cycling shorts by Domino that are created specifically for the purpose of protection in crashes. They have leather on the sides.

How's that for making a stand and then arguing against myself? :)

tkp said...

(I'm the anonymous who heckled you for not shaving your legs...)

Jon, never underestimate the hours of good clean family fun and entertainment you can gain by freaking out your wife.

And worms won't stick to the hair on your legs either.

Anonymous said...

Shave your legs. You'll love what appears to be new definition in your muscles, plus after awhile your wife wont have it any other way. Mine cant even look at hairy legs and nags me to keep mine smooth.