There Ought to be a Rule…
We all know where I stand in the cycling sock department, white and not too tall, any color sock as long as it’s white. If you have diminished calves and need to somehow hide that by wearing too tall socks, that is sad but not a crime. I always thought I was less flexible on color than height. Today I’ve changed my mind.
I was in the car when I saw a cyclist in a long sleeve, all white Rock Racing kit. Rock Racing, interesting choice, not a team I would want make believe I rode for but it was tidy. This was matched with a white helmet and white shoes and for an elitist snob like myself it was all fine. It would have been all fine barring the white knee length compression stockings! I don’t even know what compression stockings are or what they supposedly do but for his sake they had better not be just white knee length cycling socks. He had better have a severe medical condition to justify that look.
Doctor: You have a condition known as “Catholic School Girl”. If you don’t wear white knee socks your legs will fall off or you will become wildly promiscuous, but in your case most likely the first.
How can one misstep so quickly change everything? I’ve seen other cyclist in high compression socks but matching them to an all white kit is somehow saying, yes, I still have it going on here, I look Pro. FFS, I now regret not turning the car around so I could have pulled along side and asked what he thought he was doing. Or at least taken a photo for this article. Or issued a V-ticket for visual effrontery. Or nudged him off the road into a ditch.
There ought to be a Rule! Rule #28 needs an addendum with this compression thing out there. Eddy had no idea this was coming. If the Velominati are to keep ahead of these trends we better get on this now, before it is too late.
@frank
So now we know waaaay too much about @Frank, we all knew what he meant but I fixed his punctuation for clarity. The image of him riding home from his barista job with flat pedals, cafe bars, aerospokes, earring and tight jeans….
Covers eyes, shakes head, so sad.
back on topic, just no to this fad, it’s like fanny packs and sun visors.
@Chris
Your wish etc:
BTW, how’s the recovery going?
@markb
I was thinking a Lampre Jersey icon or possibly even Radio Schleck.
Remind me; what was I recovering from? Injury or apathy?
Either way I’m back on the evil bastard indoor sessions as of Tuesday. It hurt and it’ll hurt again tonight.
@PeakInTwoYears
Down here in the Tri Cities it’s all YJA so it could be worse.
@markb
Well enough that I can tell @Chris the -1 badge is at the top of Box Hill and if he thinks he can get to it faster than me, I’m ready. I’ll even strap my walking stick to the frame for extra weight.
So, yeah, doing OK thanks. Been putting in some turbo time, but will be doing a real ride in the hills this weekend so that will be a big test. TBH I’m more worried about the descents than the climbs and how my head will be.
Physio seems pretty happy. My strength in the main muscle groups is OK and I’m not too uneven. The main weakness is balance – the smaller muscles you use to correct and shift your weight, so e.g. I can do a leg press or a curl but am very wobbly if I try to stand on my right leg. I think sorting that out will be the final 10-15% I’m probably lacking at the moment.
@ChrisO
@Chris
Sounds like you are both ready for Keepers tour then…
@Thursday
If I was drinking coffee it would be on the screen!
@markb Chapeau good sir… but it’s a bit big. I would expect a -1 badge to be something tiny and shameful.
@Steampunk
@all – I highly recommend doing this for long flights. I never thought about wearing stupid compression socks until I ended up with a DVT and pulminary embolism after a 7 hour overnight flight a few years ago. Now I’m on blood thinners for life, which sucks ass, especially since I have to worry more about the consequences of crashing. There was a medical study a while ago that suggests well-trained endurance athletes are more susceptible to DVTs than the general public, presumably because of slowed heart rate and blood pooling while resting.
That said, there’s no way in hell I’d be wearing them on a ride. I can barely stand the look of the taller socks that are in fashion in the pro peloton these days.
Now that I’ve gotten my serious comment out of the way, carry on with the hilarious discussion, gents…
@MangoDave
Yikes, that shit sounds scary…. considering I might be flying a whole lot more in my near future
@Geoff Mochrie
Good on them. I just think it looks shiet when riding a bike. Wear them 22 hours a day, just not the 2 when cycling. I have some bitchin’ varicose veins and have never thought twice about them. Maybe I should be wearing compression socks.
@MangoDave
Our posts just crossed in the ether. I have a friend that had the DVT and is wearing his compression socks all the damn time. Luckily he lives in Wyoming so rarely gets to wear shorts and he only ride MTB so who gives a fuck what he looks like. He does look like hell on a mountain bike too, the compression socks barely make a dent in his shabby chic look.
@ChrisO – has your physio got you using a wobble cushion? If you don’t know what they are just type it into Amazon. Not expensive but great for a balance workout. I used one after my achilles rupture. I still use it now and again. Surprising how a few minutes one legged on one of them works over your calf and improves your balance after a while.
This article echos my sentiments exactly. At the 2 races i’ve attended this year i have seen far too many CSG’s (Catholic School Girls). These guys & gals were not newbies either. Don’t get it and don’t want to. The only way to nip this is to shame those that have clearly lost their way.
@wilburrox
I hear ya. I was pissed off at the report too – it even made the BBC world news on PBS. Yet again, cycling, which as a sport is, I believe, doing WAY more than most sports to clean itself up and institute good testing. Meanwhile most major US sports (or to be precise, the NBA, NFL and MLB, would shit their pants if a biological passport was introduced or the regular testing that cyclists get was imposed. So McQuaid and Verbruggen didn’t know? Yeah sure, and Bud Selig had no idea McGwire and Sosa and Bonds were juiced to the eyeballs. But, just as Armstrong was the feel-good vehicle for the sport to redeem itself after Festina, Sosa and McGwire helped baseball after the strike.
As for amateur doping? That’s beyond pathetic.Doping to win a Cat 3 or 2 race? A masters event? Fuck you if you do that. Back in my racing days (the 80s in Scotland) I suspect the worst doping was the unauthorized use of an asthma inhaler. Beyond that, I believe it was clean. If you won a TT even from a full field of 120 riders, the prize money for first place might get you the equivalent of $50 if you were lucky. Most of the time, your winnings might cover your gas.
@Teocalli
First you take him riding, we know how that ended, now you want to throw him on a wobble board, vendetta maybe?
@wiscot
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/09/doping-cycling-uci-commission-epo-worldtour
FFS!!
@brett
You would have thought so, but midway through the second set of over/unders tonight my legs said “shut up @Chris” and promptly fell off.
@wiscot
The amateur and master side of equation… pretty clearly just about everyone thinks WTF if someone’s doping simply to win bikes races. That’s a no brainer for sure. And @ChrisO makes good point: cats coming up thru the ranks distorting results via pharmacological tech and then falling aside when no longer as readily available w/o getting busted? That’s bad juju.
But here’s what’s gonna happen: medical/pharmaceutical science and understanding of aging will progress faster than doping policy. So, better quality of life and longer healthier life expectancy will be available via Dr’s scripts. Folks will be “doping” no more to win bike races then they eat cereal for breakfast on Sat mornings so they can watch cartoons. They’ll be “doping” because they want to liver longer healthier lives. And they’ll want to compete in sports because they are living long healthy lives.
I can’t help but think that you are right on the money when it comes to baseball. And add Cal Ripken’s ironman run to the Sosa- McGwire HR derby fest as an element of revitalizing the game post strike.
@Teocalli
Yep, a balance trainer, same principle. Plus some simultaneous arm-leg extensions while balancing on one leg.
Along with the swimming and gym work I’ve been doing, even on the treadmill, maybe I should take up triathlon – they never fall off do they?
@wilburrox
Name one drug that has been proven to lead to longer, healthier life. But I agree that people who believe in doping will be doping, however they choose to justify it.
@Apex Nadir
Alcohol – at least it makes me feel like I’m living a longer healthier life. I never saw the point in dying healthy, ideally I’ll time it right so I’ve borrowed the last fiver I could ever get, buy the last drink and down it just as the last liver and brain cell die.
@markb
@Apex Nadir
Best example: antibiotics. Saved millions of lives, still does.
If you want to know about the future, read this http://cgd.swissre.com/global_dialogue/topics/Human_enhancement/Gene_doping_internet_and_polycontexturality_Elite_sports_of_the_next_society.html
I love seeing out-of-shape folks out for a ten minute jog all geared up – compression socks, tool belt with drinks and gels, arm sleeves, on and on. Who’d have ever thought you could sell a jogger something beyond a nice pair of socks and some good sneakers?
And aside from the lack of effort during the entire regular season, what the fuck is going on in the NBA with dudes wearing full pajamas under their uniforms? Larry Bird would have kicked some serious ass if one of his teammates tried that nonsense. Short shorts and a jockstrap was all he needed to win.
*A sad victim of skankles, inherited from my mother. I got my father’s upper legs (very respectable) but my mother’s little chicken legs on the bottom half. Mid-length socks are employed to try and hide the shame. The one nice thing about breaking my leg during college sports was a thicker right shin bone.
@Ron
You got that right. What’s with all the compression gear? Just when you thought they couldn’t look any more ridiculous with the baggy shorts, along comes the arm warmers and leg warmers. Why don’t they just wear a fuckin onesie and be done with it? Spot on with Larry B, although he did try and grow a mustache which his teammates must have found hilarious.
@Teocalli
I think that would be a nice way to end your last ride. Do bikes go to heaven too ? Don’t wear too long socks or they’ll send you away from heavens gates.
@MangoDave
@Gianni
Too funny. My wife is a catholic school girl from Ohio…so, yeah, I’m right there with you.
@Cycle72
You got that right. I know for a fact that Frank sent St. Peter a copy of The Rules. Want to get into heaven where it’s always 72 degrees and the wind at your back and you never puncture or crash? Follow The Rules. Want to go south and spend eternity riding with triathletes into a headwind and puncturing and stopping frequently to adjust poorly maintained bikes? Don’t follow the rules. Your choice.
wiscot – While Bird’s mustache was rather pitiful, I can’t imagine he got too much ribbing from DJ or McHale or the Chief or Ainge. I think they’d all seen him choke Dr. J. and probably knew not to mess with a tough dude from the wrong side of the tracks. With how well they both moved, always easy to forget Bird and Magic were 6’10”.
Wow, talk about making it easy to follow The Rules. An eternity of riding with trys is frightening!
Here ya go, Gianni…from the T-A race today.
@ChrisO
Sounds like a challenge, although I’m only free on sub-zero days in late December for a head to head race.
What is your PR up Box Hill? I’ll let you know when I’ve bettered it.
Ha, I love to see an Englishman taking up a hopeless cause.
It’s worse than 558 people but better than the remaining 31,626 who’ve done it on Strava… 6:10.
All you need to do is sustain 5.1w/kg for 6 minutes and you should be fine.
Had my first proper ride out today actually, in the real world, with other people, on roads and everything – even some hills. No PRs though.
Hatta-Kalba 150314
@ChrisO
Haha 5.1w/kg? Fuck that. It would actually be easier to lose a bit of weight.
Will there be dope testing?
@tessar
Real runners are sitting in the camper trailer sipping a beer because they outran their buddy and the buddy got got by the grizzly.
@ChrisO
Did you get photo-bombed by Big George?
….jokes aside, glad to see you on the mend sir!! By the looks of it, you have a great day to be out.
@ChrisO
Good to see you out…still no helmet?
@Ron
Ah yes, sell them all that crap, and then sell them workshops on “Running Naked” where they go to learn how to do without all the rubbish. It’s a wonderful formula.
I do love my Skins for recovery and my calves like them when I’m running up hills, but then, you all know I’m a cunt.
Compression shorts save the nads from chafing on hot days when running or working out too. NIce and comfy. Wonderful thing, progress.
@The Pressure
Hmmm, I came off with enough downforce to break the strongest bone in my body but my head didn’t even touch the ground let alone suffer injury.
Perhaps I should ask why the rest of you are still wearing them?
I have to confess I considered it – the ride has some long, fast descents and I was quite nervous beforehand even giving myself some bail-out options. But I decided against it for two reasons.
First, because I’ve been on the indoor trainer I haven’t been wearing one anyway and from experience I know that to suddenly do a four hour ride with a helmet would give me some serious neck pain.
Second, it would probably just make things worse because it would be a constant reminder of The Fear.
@ChrisO
Are we allowed to have helmet discussions?
For me it’s because I’m not entirely convinced by either the argument for or against and whilst there may not be a benefit I can’t see my helmet causing me damage.
The other main reason is that my kids ride a lot and I want them to wear one until they can make an informed decision of their own without me taking a strong stance eitherway.
All of which may be flawed but its considered decision and its not as flawed as claiming that my helmet “saved my life without a doubt”.
@Chris
I thought we had been round that before! Well, to repeat from a year or so back, having been clean over the top of a car that hit me from behind and landing on the back of my head and rucksack (commuting) result was helmet split down the middle. I’m pretty sure I would not be around without a helmet or if still around probably not stringing together complete sentences. So I’m a firm for.
@ChrisO
We all make our choices. Glad you’re back at it. Be safe. Fear is for suckers.
@Teocalli
If it wasn’t the middle of the night in Dubai, I could picture @ChrisO sat in front of his computer with a bucket of popcorn.
It’s also too late here to get into it properly but I struggle with the concept of being certain (as in my helmet “saved my life without a doubt” rather having some element of doubt by being “pretty sure”) of an outcome without having expertise in a relevant field. Unless you either spend a significant amount of time smashing helmets (or heads) into roads, traffic furniture, cars etc in a properly controlled and observed scientific manner such opinion amounts to anecdotal evidence at best.
The other option, of course, is to prove that yourself right in being so certain by recreating the incident whilst not wearing a helmet.
@Chris
Mate I’m long past the point where I find it entertaining !
But what you said is exactly what I was driving at, even if we’ve reached different conclusions.
After the accident I was asked so many times if I was wearing a helmet.
I distinctly remember explaining to the paramedic why I chose not to and thinking how bizarre it was that I was in agony, away with the fairies under the influence of ketamine and nitrous oxide and I was still having a fucking helmet debate in an ambulance.
I assume the reason they all asked was not to teach me the error of my ways but as a check for head injury. I found that slightly concerning – they really should be looking for head injury regardless of helmet or not.
@ChrisO
Went down hard this weekend. Pulled a Schleck:
Into a rocky desert wadi. Helmeted head didn’t even touch the bushes. Also questioning it by now…
@Chris
Whilst there is a certain Vulcan logic to that I think I’ll pass on it. Somehow being right by being dead seems to have some small drawbacks.
Though I have taught skiing with enough people with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) of varying degrees to justify to myself that it does not do any harm to wear a helmet and might just benefit.
@Teocalli
Here’s my take on the helmet debate – leaving aside whether or not it would/could/might save my life in a crash…
My wife wouldn’t let me go out riding with out one, in the same way I wouldn’t get away with going climbing without my climbing lid. So wearing a helmet enables me to ride/climb as I wish. End of debate.
I don’t notice I’m wearing one now.
@ChrisO
Shame this wasn’t developed into tyres last year…