Wide Load

At one time or another, almost every human has felt ostracized from his/her peers, or felt as though they were too different to fit in with the masses. If you ride a bicycle for transportation, this can be a regular occurrence.  Various statistics point to slightly more than 2% of 1 mile or shorter trips by American's being taken by bicycle. The figure is a tad higher for slightly longer voyages by bike, but it's easy to see that bicyclists are the minority in a car-loving society.

A few weeks ago, I was reminded that I find myself in an even smaller statistic: women who are severely overweight AND cycle. This reminder came through various sources and on different days. One of the reminders was a post by Lovely Bicycle! that resulted in a fairly lively discussion of cycling apparel. Though I was already aware of this fact, overweight women (and even women larger than say a size 10 or so) have a very difficult time finding cycling wear. To top it off, the few sources that are available for those of us who fall into this category are not all that exciting. Even places like Terry and Shebeest that offer some relatively cute designs, don't make all of the styles in larger sizes.

Lambswool sweater in the misses section of Terry: cute, looks comfy, would definitely
keep me warm in the winter months

To top it all off, women like myself our forced into a 'special' section of clothing, which in the course of my lifetime I've discovered means 'limited.' I've sent emails and even made phone calls, but I have sort of felt the need to resign myself to a harsh reality: most larger ladies don't ride a bike, so why would manufacturers produce the clothes for them?

The closest, even remotely equivalent find at Terry for larger ladies -
Not anything close to the above design

The next reminder of my size came when I found a photo online, taken by a journalist, who was documenting the Venus de Miles ride I participated in a few weeks ago. As if it's not enough to already have body image issues, I have to discover a quite revolting photo of myself, mid-ride, third chin hanging to my knees. When seeing such a sight, I couldn't help but be reminded that I was likely the largest person on this ride.  I was pounded with the vision of just how large my thighs and legs are in general; I was reminded that I should never wear sleeveless shirts in public - ever; I was beaten over the head with the thought that I am alone in a world full of 'fit and trim' cyclists. True, the photo is extremely unflattering, and, yes, I've tried to keep this in mind; however, I can't help but look at the picture and think that I look as though I'm going to break my poor Sam Hillborne!

Good lord, why am I posting this?

The third time that I was reminded of my largeness was while reading another website. I enjoy following Simply Bike's adventures with her bicycle, and this connected me with the RAGBRAI website. Since Sam and I had visited the Midwest this past summer, and did a bit of casual riding while there, I was interested to see what RAGBRAI is all about.

Sam with the bicycles in Madison, WI

While reading a post by one of the trainers, I found, what I consider to be a rather rude comment by someone who stated, "... How come no one jogging could be {in} such poor shape as some of the bikers I see. Truthfully, some would go by me doing 20 mph and looked like their back tire would explode with all the weight it was handling." The response by the trainer was this: "One of the reasons you don't see a lot of heavy joggers is because their joints won't handle it. One of the beauties of riding a bike is that the bike supports your weight and you just have to provide the power to propel it. When running your body has to do both functions.  This is one of the great things about a bike. It allows people who are heavy a means to exercise and hopefully burn of some of that excess weight." I can't even begin to describe my annoyance with both the original comment and the trainer's response. While I do understand what the trainer is saying, and agree that cycling is much easier on the joints for anyone, I have no issue jogging, and I am no light weight. Sam and I actually completed a marathon a few years ago, so I don't enjoy being lumped into a category that adds to a very strong stereotype that already exists in the minds of many. The real plague to my head at the moment though is just because I run/jog, lift weights, and cycle, doesn't mean I'm going to weigh 100 lbs. The idea that someone is large because they are lazy or don't do anything throughout the day is not necessarily true, and it also isn't true that the person is 'out of shape' because they are large. I know many individuals who are quite thin and who also thought I was insane for even attempting the 26.2 mile marathon, as they knew they wouldn't be able to complete it.

So, where does one begin with changing the minds of the public? While I would love to be the size 2 that some are, it's honestly not in my DNA. My mom is large, my dad is large (and so are a slew of ancestors before them). While I can lose weight, it's minimal, and despite all the begging I've done with the doctor, he assures me there is nothing to do but what I am doing, and have done for the last decade or so of my existence. My life has been filled with the obnoxious football players making fun of my chubby cheeks, snooty cheerleaders giving me the 'once over' because I wanted to try out for cheerleading, and the comments from complete strangers, such as one of my favorites while visiting the Beverly Hills library: "Oh, dear. You have SUCH a pretty face... if you'd just lose a few pounds." I have to wonder if these individuals feel badly about themselves, and so they feel the need to bring others down as well? I honestly don't have the answers, but I have also realized that all I can do is to enjoy the journey. What else is there to say?