Why Cyclists Shave Their Legs

A life-long passion of mine is cycling. I started riding seriously about 30 years ago when I got tired of running. I’ve averaged about 3,000 miles per year ever since. My non-cycling friends enjoy ribbing me about the lycra shorts, flashy jerseys and in particular about the fact that I shave my legs. One friend once asked “How far up the leg do you shave?” That would be like asking a Highlander what’s under his kilt. Anyway, you get the picture.

The leg shaving started right after seeing the movie “Breaking Away”, and it has nothing to do with aerodynamics but more to do with hygiene. I tell my cyclephobe friends that in the event of a spill it’s almost impossible to escape without some amount of road rash. The higher the speed the more of a “strawberry” you have to show for the experience. So, it’s much easier to clean, sterilize and bandage the wounds on a shaven leg than on one that could be harvested for two blankets and a throw rug.

Through all my race and road miles I’ve been fortunate to have never had a serious mishap. Call it luck or being alert, I just count my blessings. Well, my luck (and alertness) ran out last night as I had my first bang-up in a long time and fortunately I’m able to write about it. I was riding my usual route and was less than two miles from home when I made a right hand turn onto a road that was being repaved. And, surprise, surprise … the road bed was strewn with fresh gravel and tar. A car was approaching the intersection as I was turning into it and, with nowhere to turn, I went down. It’s amazing how banged up you can get at a relatively low speed. As always, I was wearing a helmet but I neglected to wear chainmail.

The incident left me with scrapes, bruises and a sore shoulder but, other than that I’m no worse for wear. And, fortunately the clean up was made easier by the silky-smooth legs. So, in this case an ounce of prevention (a dab of shaving cream) really is worth a pound of cure. I expect to be out again this evening and will be more alert for sand and gravel and, I’m getting another can of shaving cream.