"Those are some big biking legs!"

I was standing in Starbucks ordering a mid afternoon tea when out of nowhere I hear a guy's voice behind me say, "Those are some big biking legs you got there!" I glanced side to side and saw there weren't that many customers in the place so I assumed he was talking to me. I turned around, reluctantly smiled, and said, "Thanks?" emphasizing the question mark. We briefly chatted and it turned out he was a cyclist too. I should have left him with this parting thought, "Dude. Unless you want a hot coffee dumped down the front of you, you DON'T tell a female she has 'big biking legs', or 'big' anything for that matter." Well, maybe if referencing boobs but even that's a turkey shoot.

I have recently realized that ultra endurance cycling may not be the best sport for women. Don't get me wrong, I think females are very well suited, both physiologically and mentally, for long distance sports. While I was training for my first 100K trail race, my leg muscles became long and lean and my abs and back solid felt strong. But with all the cycling I've done over the last 12 months in preparation for RAAM, my quads are bigger, my butt and hips are bigger, my gut has gotten somewhat flabby, my upper body muscles have shrunk, and my posture is taking on a permanent, hunched over, "aero position" shape. It seems that cycling enlarges everthing women typically work so hard to reduce. My thoughts were confirmed when my teammate Carol asked, "Have you gained weight during your training? My legs have gotten huge!" My other teammate Sue responded with, "I haven't gained weight but my butt is a lot bigger."



















Cartoon by Guy Junker -- http://www.junkertoons.com/ebmtb.htm