Superstitions

Was over on Cycling Tips reading about professional cyclist superstitions and secrets which got me thinking about my own superstitions and secrets.  I'm not sure if they are superstitions or obsessive compulsive traits AND I don't know if you want to follow any of my 'secrets' considering the huge successes I've had racing.

 

OBR on Superstitions:

• left foot in shoe first - always! Same with socks;

• left glove on first, but always have to adjust my wedding ring before putting my hand in - if I forget to do so I have to take the glove off and start over;

• if I carry one bottle on my road bike it has to go in the down tube cage, never the seat tube cage.  If I carry two water bottles, the down tube gets finished first then moved over to the seat tube and the full one gets moved to the down tube;

• anytime I look at my blog followers I say to myself, "Fuck you Dicky" (in hindsight this may be more of a jinx to my slowly growing number of 'Followers');

• when shaving (my face, not my legs - I don't shave my legs) I always start at the right side burn.  What does this have to do with riding?  Nothing.  Go pound rocks.

• if I've had a particularly good ride with a certain jersey on, I will not wash it, save it and wear it again on a ride/race that I want to do well at.  If it's grossly filthy I will give it a good shake.  But washing it totally removes all outstanding'ness that will help me soar the next time I wear it.

• if my bike is not clean at the start of a ride/race I will not ride well, I will not ride fast (my standards, not yours);

OBR's Secrets:

• if you're carrying a camera to take photos of your ride - carry it in a plastic bag to prevent sweat from getting on and in it;

• waxing your bike not only makes it look fantabulous and protects the finish, it also helps to keep the mud from building up and makes post ride cleaning much easier (Note: if you ride a bike with Faberge like decals waxing and cleaning on a regular basis will gradually peel them off - bug the lazy ass manufacture to clear coat his frames);

• citrus hand cleaner does a great job at cleaning your grip tape on your road or CX bike.  It'll make old white tape look new again;

• chamois cream should be used on all rides at the beginning of the season until your under-carriage caluses get built back up again OR anytime you are doing a long ride OR riding in wet conditions;

• put about a tablespoon full of ground pepper in each tire before adding Stan's sealant for a tubeless set-up - the pepper particles help create 'chunks' which seal any small holes;

• if you're cycling shoes get soaked during a ride crumple up newspaper and jam your shoes full - the newspaper will help absorb most of the water - don't leave them in too long because they won't finish drying out.

Okay, that's it, that's all.  Can't go telling you all my secrets cause pretty soon everyone will be as awesome as I am.