There was a time when shaving my legs never even entered my mind. I think of it as a sign of feminity, something my masochistic ego wouldn’t even consider.
I was once asked by a rider in a peloton why I still had hairs on my legs. I replied “Why not?” and took offense. The rider just smiled and told me a hairless leg was beneficial if I was to ride my bike more. I didn’t speak to him anymore that day.
A few days later, I figured in a nasty crash leaving me with bruises on both knees. I cleaned up the bruises and applied bandages and surgical tapes. Several hours later, I thought of changing the bandages and tried taking off the ones stuck.
It was hell!
The hairs clung on the adhesives tightly, and each time a hair is pulled, the stabbing pain would make me grimace.
Now, I know why that rider asked me.
Shaving legs, in our culture, is a feminine practice. As men, we take notice of how smooth a woman’s legs are especially if we don’t see any hair on it. But what about men?
There are fitness forums where shaved legs have been discussed, and there were some, who haven’t got the slightest clue on why legs are shaved, who’d try to be smart-asses and say its more aerodynamic. What??? It probably would be if you’re hitting more than 100kph on the bike or run, or probably doing 10-second 100 meter laps in pools. But more aerodynamic? You must be kidding.
Shaved legs are better for cyclists, and probably runners, as we are prone to crashes, which may result to bruising and open wounds, as simple as that.
A friend of mine quizzed me one time and asked if I could point out the “hardcore” or veteran triathletes in races. I said, “easy, just look for the darkest persons in the pack…”. NOT! The ones deep into triathlons are those who have hairless legs. Ooowwww, now I know!
Two weeks ago, I was chatting with a cyclist in a bike shop I brought my bike to. He noticed that hairs were already growing on my legs and pointed it out…”Sir, mukhang kailangan na ulit mag-ahit…”…I said ” Oo nga eh..”. He then told me a story of how he was referred to as “jologs” within the peloton he was riding in because he had hairs on his legs.
Do you want to be called jologs?
No way!
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