Never neglect your nappies!!

Whether on your top or bottom, it's rare that any serious cyclist would venture out without their trusty chamois. These marvels of padded perfection offer many benefits, the least of which is the prevention of chafing when long-riding. Historically, these chamois were the product of lambskin ('chamois' actually refers to the prepared skin of any goat-like animal), and were prized for their softness, absorption and wicking properties. Their modern cousins are typically synthetic in nature, with multi-panel construction, and more refined fit and performance. All this means one thing: your nethers are protected from the elements, including blundt force trauma resulting from sudden contact with the saddle. 

Which brings us to the moral of this particularly painful story. You see, yesterday I took my youngest for a training ride on the EDT. I live by, and strongly enforce, the helmet rule at home. For almost any ride more than a few miles in length, I will also don a pair of old bike shorts, as well as my cleated shoes. This would not be the case on that fateful day, and it would prove most unfortunate. 

Not long after we were rolling the section East of Walmart, I veered off trail to follow Jakob. My tennis-shoe clad feet slipped off the pedals just as I was making a crucial change of hand position on the bars. This unique set of circumstances led me to fall, not forward, straddling the top tube as is usually the case, but instead to drop from a standing position and land squarely on the top of my saddle. Once the stars cleared, and I reintroduced oxygen into my lungs, Jakob had come back to inquire as to my delay. Between gasps, I managed to utter something about needing a moment to gather myself. It would be some time before I could sit down again, and even longer before I recovered from the gut wrenching waves of nausea that followed. 

What does this mean to you? Nothing more than a reminder to properly suit up before EVERY ride. Whether 1 mile or 100 miles, you never know when tragedy will strike. It's somewhat comical to ponder, had I failed to have "the surgery" after Jake was born, this might have done the job, and at no cost. Oh well, at least I had a number of bags of frozen peas on hand :)

As for tomorrow night, the weather is, well, perplexing. While the academic folk are predicting cold, clear and a chance of light winds, it is, after all, FAT TUESDAY FAT TIRE TACO TUESDAY (FTFT3). This will no doubt bring a storm surge to the forecast. I plan to come prepared for all conditions, including donning my most festive nappy. Beads optional, padded protection mandatory! 

Un!

Night

32°

Low

Clear

Chance of Rain:

0%

Wind:

ENE at 3 mph

Humidity:

69%

UV Index:

0 - Low

Snowfall:

0 in

Sunset:

5:37 pm

Moonset:

8:41 pm

Moonphase:

Waxing Crescent

Clear skies. Low 32F. Winds light and variable