Sunday Ride in My New Kit

Today I rode 25 km along the Cooks River Cycleway. I have done this ride many times in the past, but never before on my new road bike. Equally novel was the experience of riding for the first time kitted out in the official Tour de Cure training kit.

Training Kit

The training kit consists of a cycling jersey and a pair of bib shorts:

• Jersey: I was so excited to finally have an item of clothing I could ride in and which has pockets. Previously I simply wore t-shirts and leggings for my rides, which meant I had to carry a separate backpack to house my phones, wallet, tissues, keys, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, mini bicycle pump, etc. With my new cycling jersey - which has the standard three rear pockets, plus a small zipped compartment for valuables - I could finally say goodbye to the inconvenience of riding with a backpack.

• Bib shorts: Prior to joining TDC, I had never heard of the term “bib shorts”. I’ve since discovered these are a type of cycling shorts held up by straps / suspenders (i.e. bib) instead of an elastic waistband like normal shorts. The shorts provide extra cushioning against the saddle, reduce friction and chafing by moving with the body rather than rubbing against the skin, and promote the movement of sweat away from the skin and towards the fabric’s outer surfaces (commonly marketed as “moisture wicking”).

Putting on my training kit for the first time was a joyous occasion, though I felt a lingering sense of the imposter syndrome. Especially when venturing out into the public, I felt strongly that my attire elevated me to an appearance of professionalism and competence that I did not yet deserve.

With Westpac and Tour de Cure logos prominently displayed on both sides of my jersey and shorts, I also felt uncomfortably identifiable. I was paranoid I would make a stupid beginner mistake on my ride and let down the good name of TDC.

This is no doubt why TDC’s official merchandise store implores riders to “read our Riding Etiquette document so that when you ride out wearing our kit as a proud representative of Tour de Cure, you make us proud”.

The Ride

Self-doubt aside, I enjoyed, as always, riding along the Cooks River Cycleway. Strava tracking indicates I covered 25 km in 1 hour 14 minutes, averaging 20.1 km/h and achieving a maximum speed of 36.7 km/h.

For comparison, back when I was riding my mountain bike, my average speed across the five Cooks River Cycleway-rides I tracked was 14.1 km/h.

When signing up to TDC, one of the terms and conditions was “I can achieve an average of 26-28kms/hr on the flat”, so I’ve still got some way to go before I can consistently hit that target speed.

In the meantime, I’ve got some reading to do - the aforementioned Riding Etiquette guide is a somewhat terrifying 41-pages long. Look out for a future post where I digest my findings from that document.