I am dead serious. Strap a cape on them, and they would look like "bike-man", ready to drive into SUV's in a single bound!
Look, I am hating, sure. But I REALLY want to know: how come nearly every road cyclist I see, no matter how medicore, has to be dressed from head to toe in some super expensive, over-decorated, skin-tight lycra costume??? WHY??? Ok, the shorts I somewhat understand because of the padding aspect, and yes, non-bike shorts could ride up on you. Ok, I will GIVE them the shorts.
But what about the shirts? And don't tell me they wear those bizarrely decorated things because "they want to be seen by cars." OH NO.....don't try that excuse! Because if they were REALLY dressing like that mainly because of the desire to not to be hit by traffic, they could
A) easily strap on a virtually weightless, super-cheap, non-perspiration absorbing, fairly aero-dynamic crossing-guard-type vest. THAT will get you seen better than some $150 dark blue, trying-to-be-hip, weirdly designed lycra shirt. And..
B) they could ride on bike paths more. I have been plenty of places where there are good bike paths, with not many people on them, but the super-hero cylists are too cool for the safe paths, and opt for narrow high speed roads that are right near by. Do these guys have suicide wishes?
And I also don't buy the "aero-dynamic" aspect of those shirts. There are PLENTY of tight-ftting, cheap tank tops one could wear, that are don't flap much in the wind. Or, in colder weather, a normal long sleeve shirt would work FINE. I've ridden in those plenty of times and they work FINE.
And 1/2 the guys I see wearing these superhero outfits don't even wear a helmet. They wear that gay little painter's cap thing, because their european heroes do the same on training rides. How follow-the-fashion-crowd is that?? Their motto seems to be: i'd rather look cool and die than look like a geek and stay alive. How pathetic!
Look, all I am saying is that:
biking is one more in a long list sports where MANY (not all) of the athletes care MUCH MORE about the fashion and equipment related to the sport than they do about the actual activity of the sport.
Most runners actually care A LOT MORE about the activity than the fashion or equipment. And that is why running is better.
(ok, time for my run in my dirty, very un-hip looking running shoes, whatever shorts I find on my floor, and no shirt of maybe a $15 tank top. I don't have time for "costume sports").