Cyclist obsessions that only those of us who pedal understand

For years, cyclists have developed habits that are viewed with strangeness by those outside of this world and that in many cases are difficult to justify or at least explain. Some make sense, others, when analyzed objectively, are completely nonsensical.

Cyclists' habits that are hard to explain

It is not news to anyone that cycling is a source of obsessions for those of us who pedal. We often spend a great deal of our thoughts thinking about what happened on the weekend group ride and planning the routes for the next one while constantly checking the weather forecast websites.

This passion or obsession for cycling is often reflected in certain habits that in many cases are shared by a large part of those who ride bikes. A way of acting that, one could interpret, helps us feel part of this world but, when analyzed in detail, in many cases doesn't make much sense.

Raise your hand if you haven't found yourself in any of the situations we describe.

Eating breakfast dressed in cycling gear

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Cycling clothing is very comfortable for what it was designed for, cycling. In other situations, when we walk or when we have to go to the bathroom, it is not particularly practical, not to mention uncomfortable: areas that pull and squeeze, many layers to put on and take off, full pockets that prevent us from leaning back...

However, it is striking that, at the breakfast before any ride in the hotel restaurant where we are staying, or even many at their own homes, as soon as cyclists get out of bed they put on their cycling gear, the same gear they will have to spend many hours in. Not to mention those who finish a ride and immediately get in the car with their cycling shorts on to start the journey back.

Shaving legs

Having shaved legs has become a kind of hallmark among cyclists since time immemorial. This may be the only truly justifiable reason since the main reason for doing it, facilitating massages after races, is not something that applies to the common cyclist who visits the physiotherapist on rare occasions.

However, for many, it is not enough to be a cyclist, but it must be proven, and few things have historically been more identifying than having completely clean legs, without stopping to think that nowadays, hair removal is no longer exclusive to cycling and has become widespread in society, taking away that aura of exclusivity that we cyclists used to have.

Showing off sun tan lines

Also related to the cyclist look is the obsession of many to have perfectly defined sun tan lines, even though, when we arrive at the beach or the pool in summer, it may be totally unattractive.

Always wearing the same type of clothing and adjusting leg and sleeve openings carefully to align them with the sun tan lines and make them more defined is a common practice for many before going out to ride, and it is carefully checked at each stop. Again, another sign of identity that not only identifies us as cyclists but also, the more defined they are, the more it indicates the level of the cyclist in question, who supposedly has many thousands of kilometers under their belt.

Obsession with data

Average speeds, meters of elevation gain, climbing times, watts, heart rate... numbers have always been intrinsically linked to cycling. Who doesn't remember the times when all the information related to the route we had just completed was carefully noted in a notebook, often without a clear purpose since few followed a training plan back then.

Today, social networks and online tools like the famous Strava platform have taken over, but there are still many who analyze in great detail what the day's route has brought. The times in each of the climbs, the average speed achieved, the watts developed. And, just like in the past, not knowing very well what to do with that information beyond achieving a certain level of satisfaction for the kilometers ridden.

Round numbers

Who hasn't arrived home with 99.8 km on the bike computer and taken a spin around the neighborhood streets and stopped the recording when it reached 100? Practically everyone, as if 200 meters more or less were going to make a difference in our physical form.

The same goes for the average speed of the route, a data point that when high seems to be a demonstration of our strength even though many do not activate the bike computer until they leave the city and stop it several kilometers before reaching home to avoid the traffic on the streets from lowering this figure that is so difficult to raise.

Removing valve caps

The valves through which we inflate our bike tires have plastic caps that theoretically serve to protect this part from elements like mud or rain. However, for some strange reason, keeping them on is seen in some circles as something for beginners without anyone having been able to provide a minimally logical explanation for this association.

It is not a matter of weight either, considering that they do not even weigh 2 grams, what we can save by dispensing with an element that, on the other hand, does not serve a necessary function. Proof of this is all the bikes that do not have them without any problem, although for many it is so obsessive that they even remove the caps from their group ride companions' bikes.

If removing the caps is curious, no less curious are those who leave all the warning stickers that new bikes usually come with, warning the owner that the brake discs can burn your hand or that the frame is intended for a specific use and to read the manual before using it. Stickers that in many cases continue to be there after years of using the bike.

Rivalry in group rides

When someone outside of cycling hears the conversations of the members of a group ride, they often doubt if friendship reigns among them. Stories of the real battles that take place during the rides, where the goal is to outdo the others to try to be a kind of alpha male of the group.

Fortunately, in most cases, it is a healthy rivalry with a lot of boasting despite how striking it may be to an external observer. The problem is when, in some cases, these rivalries mix with personal matters, having caused in many occasions real rifts within the group.

Spending money to lighten the bike

It has been a long time since the price of bike components exceeded one euro per gram saved. Even so, the weight figure is still one of the most important parameters when choosing a new handlebar, saddle, or wheels, ignoring other parameters such as stiffness, functionality, or comfort of the new component.

It is also striking the significant investment that must be made to shave off a few grams from the bike when, in the vast majority of cases, the cyclist has several kilos to spare above what would be the optimal figure for their physique, which is the most efficient way to improve our performance beyond training.

Dinner and breakfast pasta before an important event

Passing through the dining room of a hotel the night before a cycling event seems to be attending a tribute to the quintessential Italian food. In fact, in many events, the term "pasta party" has been coined to name the meal that the organizers provide to the participants.

It is also striking to notice how this ritual is a kind of purgatory that one must go through to show up at the event's start line as a worthy participant, turning it into, in many cases, a penance in which this dish is eaten without any kind of condiment or sauce, at most a drizzle of oil.

All this despite the fact that today we have much more nutritional information and many more options, especially tastier and more stimulating, to fill our glycogen stores. It is also not taken into account that many times this obsession with loading up on carbs is reduced to the night before when the rest of the time a proper sports nutrition is ignored.