Why cyclists shave their legs....

Having been riding in the mountains a lot this year I gave in to prevailing cycling wisdom and shaved my legs. No, it doesn't make me significantly more aerodynamic. Not that I have noticed, anyhow. I did it in case statistics catch up with me (if you put in 150 miles/week of cycling, then it is not if but when and how you are going to crash. I had a bad crash last September and knew from experience that road rashes are sucky enough to nurse without adding on the aggravation of the bad combination of adhesive bandages and leg hair...

I've read how many other cyclists like the look and feel of their well sculpted hairless legs. Well, I don't. I liked my legs hairy. My leg hair wasn't eliminated in my species' evolution process, and my legs don't look right without it. You can call me a Fred if you'd like, but you've better be able to repeat Cabrillo tidepool hill 10 times in an hour if you do or I'll drop you going uphill... and film the whole process on my handheld camera for posterity.

Anyhow... I didn't like the look and feel of my now hairless legs. I still don't, but I sure was glad that they were hairless when my square rear tire decided to slip on a curve last Sunday and earned my left knee this year's first road rash. Yes, I shaved my legs, but not because I think they look better that way but because road rashes are a lot easier to deal with without having hair involved.