No Shame

I have noticed that as I ride more, I become more and more uninhibited. Change my clothes in a parking lot? No problem! Need to pee? As long as there is room by the side of the road or trail, no problem. Although peeing while riding is something that I am not sure is physically possible for women, so I have yet to try it. On one ride, one of the women opened her fanny pack and a tin fell out. When asked what it was, she said that it was 'crotch glide' - you know, for your crotch. Another woman looked at first shocked, then appalled, then curious.

We both explained to her that due to the sensitive nature of that area, some of us use various things to prevent saddle sores or chaffing. And I told her that when I first started riding, I used vaseline, but that can be both messy and it kind of keeps moisture in - now I use chamois Butter, but I am not really that thrilled with it and wanted to try Crotch Guard. Now by the look on her face, you would think that I just told her in great detail that I was sleeping with her husband, running a child labor camp, and liked kicking puppies in my spare time. It was then I realized that I had taken a step out of 'polite company' and into 'no shame land'.

I guess most of the time, women wonder how men can talk about bodily functions so readily, when we are taught that they are dirty and not to be discussed in polite company. My nephews think fart jokes are funnier than anything else and calling each other things like 'poop' or 'fart' are the highest form of subtle jibes. My nieces, on the other hand, are embarrassed, though they giggle politely, when these types of exchanges take place. And now I wonder how my nieces would feel about my 'crotch' discussion. Probably embarrassed.

Then last night, I was having a discussion with one of our biking buddies, a really great biker and skier who often drops by to have a beer and swap war stories. As we were talking, discussion went to getting ready for ski season and how weight lifting is key to getting those legs ready. I told him that I had a brief stint building competitively, and that my coach loved me because of my muscle mass distribution. I informed him that I had a slightly higher level of testosterone that most women....to which he rolled his eyes and said "Gee, do ya think?". Maybe that is why my level of shame related to these not so nice aspects of biking is really nil. The testosterone negates the shame gene.

So, anyone want to discuss crotch issues? I'm here for you.

pedal, pedal, pedal!