Wednesday, September 07, 2005
To cure my boredom out here in Fairfax, VA, I bought myself a road bike. It's nothing special, just an old red Nishiki Olympic. After about two times out on it I decided I looked silly wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt while all the other bikers had on spandex shorts and jerseys with pockets on their backs. So I went to the local bike shop to get my own hardcore biking outfit. I'm looking at the shorts they have in stock and they all have this over-sized maxi pad looking thing in the crotch. The first thing that pops in my head is, "So that's how Lance Armstrong can ride for 100km without stopping to pee." Upon using a few more brain cells to contemplate the matter, I figured out it's a cushion for your crotch. Instantly, a collective "Ahhhhh" from two tiny voices (apparently belonging to my nuts) echoes through my head.
The best thing about this investment so far is that all the gear -- shorts, jersey, helmet, gloves, cages and water bottles -- set me back about 160 clams, which is 35 more than what I paid for the bike. And I still need sunglasses, and will probably need to replace the back wheel and both tires before too long. It's all good, though. More motivation to get out there amongst the crazy motorists.
That's another thing; motorists around here are crazy. They're in a hurry to get somewhere. Running stop signs and redlights, pulling out in front of fast moving traffic. I don't know where the deuce they're in a hurry to get to. This is the most boring town I've ever lived in. It's just a bunch of upper middle class suburban families. Plus, every time I roll up to a red light on my bike, I hear someone in the car next to me say, "Oh look, it's a guy on a bicycle," like they've never seen one before. Welcome to the 21st Century, folks.
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