Friday, August 15, 2014

How the Sun Sees You


Cyclists spend long hours baking their epidermis in the sun.  Skimpy kit makes for exposed arms, neck, and legs. One of the great forgotten bits of cycling equipment is sunscreen.

Back in the day when I was younger, I played ultimate frisbee.  A doctor friend always showed up to play with a brimmed hat, long sleeves, and plenty of sunscreen.  It was one of those moments when it occurs to you, "If he ~ who is infinitely wiser than I in the ways of medical health ~ is taking these precautions ~ perhaps prudence dictates I follow a similar course."

Of course there is something to being middle aged and no longer giving a damn about how you look.  I bought myself a fine large brim beach hat and some nice high-viz long sleeve shirts.  I also bought several tubs of sun screen.  One sits on my desk at work ready for the ride home and the other sits by the door at home.

Another doc said we should always apply sunscreen twice.  Why?  Because most of us do such a lousy job the first time that it requires two coats of paint.

Oh yeah, and remember, even the "sports" sunscreen only lasts like two hours.  Buy some small tubes and throw them in your saddle bag for use in Purceville.

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