Wardrobe Issues

At this time last year I would have been out of bed before 7am, and out on the road before sunrise, in the wind, rain or snow, riding eighty miles a week to and from work.  This year I'm barely riding fifty miles a week, and only at mid-day when there's no snow or rain.

In August I'd made up my mind to buy a new touring bike, and was starting to shop for rain gear, UnderArmour and fleece, and new water-resistant head and tail lights.  (I've never yet found a tail light that will survive a whole winter.) I was spared all this expense when I got my layoff notice on September first.  I'm making do with last year's gear.

In the summer I almost always wore spandex cycling shorts riding to and from work, then changed to work clothes in the bathroom.  I put in enough miles that I really needed padded shorts to cushion tender portions of my anatomy, but lately I've been thinking that I might actually have lasted a little longer in my job if I'd worn baggy shorts or a cover-up skirt instead of bare-ass spandex.

I've worked with many women (and men, too) who had long-term weight problems, from twenty to sixty extra pounds, up to people I would have said were in the morbidly obese range.  I've worked in office jobs myself, and know how your weight can creep up when you gain a few (or ten) pounds every winter, then don't quite lose it all every summer.  I know it's hard to stick to an exercise program when every day is dark before and after work for four months of the year.

Luckily, as a bicycle commuter I've been spared that problem.  I'm still built more like a fireplug than a Barbie doll, but I can see now that some people probably resented seeing me strut in the front door in shiny black spandex every morning.  And there are many people conservative enough to call any woman who dresses in tight, skimpy shorts a whore, even if I think it's a recognized athletic uniform.  Weight, appearance and body image are very touchy issues.  I probably would have been more well-liked if I'd covered up more, and been seen as a team-player rather than a non-conformist.