"Wait a minute.....

.....you're not suppose to wear underwear with cycling shorts???!!!" That was my horrified reaction when I found out, at the age of 13, that the wool cycling shorts I wore on all my rides were not suppose to be ridden with underwear. This caused two reactions - besides being horrified. First, I thought that maybe my saddle sores would finally clear up. And second, what happens if I crash and my shorts get torn up???

At the age of 13, stuff like this can bug you. Nowadays, who cares - rip away. But as a kid, this caused nightmares! I'm at a crit, people everywhere, I go down in a corner and my shorts rip up and...aaaccckkk.....I'm exposed! Yikes. Yes, it's not one of those classroom dreams where you show up naked - when you're a teenage bike racer, your nightmares involve silly stuff like crashing in front of a crowd at a criterium and ripping up your new wool shorts with nothing underneath but your birthday suit. Geesh.