Are you the type of person that scoffs at those who feel the need to get all dressed up in high-speed, low-drag clothing and gear in order to enjoy their favourite sport? If so, you may want to rethink your attitude on the matter. Sportswear not only serves a physical functional purpose but it serves a mental one as well, especially in the sport of cycling. Cycling is a sport that is definitely more enjoyable when you’re wearing the right gear from head to toe, especially if you are like most cyclists and are committed to enjoying the sport year-round.
Safety and Protection
One of the primary purposes for any sports gear is to provide a measure of safety and protection, whether that means keeping your head safe in a crash or protecting you from the bitter cold or dehydrating effects of a stiff dry wind. Cycling in the right gear and clothing is kind of like having comfortable body armour in battle: it makes you feel safe, and when you feel safe, you tend to enjoy the sport more. The protection that cycling gear offers isn’t just about crash protection either, though a well-made long sleeve cycling jersey and cycling pants can keep the road rash to a minimum in the event you do crash. Your cycling helmet, socks, pants, and jersey offer protection from the sun, the wind, the rain, and the cold while you ride as well as from the hard abrasive ground in the event of a fall.
Comfort Means Enjoyment
Nothing can spoil a cycling trip and sap the enjoyment out of it like a rash of saddle sores, sweat-soaked clothing, or a poorly fitting helmet or pair of shoes. Cycling is certainly good exercise but the primary reason for a cyclist’s enjoyment of the sport is just that. It’s an enjoyable sport, and when your gear and clothing aren’t designed to keep you comfortable while cycling, the sport starts to lose some of that enjoyment factor. Your shoes keep your feet comfortably on the pedals, allowing them to breathe, and your socks keep your feet comfortable and dry, wicking away moisture as your feet perspire. Your cycling jersey and pants or shorts also wick away moisture without getting saturated with sweat and even when wet will keep the discomfort of the wind off of your skin.
Looking Good While You Ride
While it may seem a bit vain to place value on the way you look while you enjoy your favourite sport, looking good in your gear and clothing isn’t about showing off. It’s about feeling good while you ride. What you’re wearing while cycling does serve a physical function but it also makes a statement about you and it shows that you’re proud of what you do on the road or the single track. There is nothing like the way you feel when you’re doing what you love with the wind in your face and knowing that you look good doing it. That’s part of what makes the sport of cycling so great.