As a serious cyclist, I try almost anything that might help to improve my performance. This includes body hair removal, a practice that is common among my cycling heroes. While I don't notice a difference in speed, being hairless eliminates the discomfort of having my hair caught in my socks, shorts and shirt while riding. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to go hairless, hair removal may help to improve your riding experience in a number of ways.
Drag-Reduction
Whether it is a windy or relatively calm day, cyclists have to battle with the forces of air resistance. Otherwise known as drag, air resistance increases with your speed. While you may attempt to battle this with aerodynamic clothing and specialized equipment and by getting low and level with your bike, some cyclists believe that hair removal helps to reduce drag. Despite the minimal impact that your low-weight body hair has on drag, Stewart Ross claims in a 2008 book that a combination of tight-fitting clothing and the removal of excess body hair can help to reduce drag by as much as 6 percent.
Wounds
Whether you bike on the road or trails, cuts, scrapes and road rash are all part of the cycling experience. Due to constant training and regular competitions, professional cyclists accumulate countless small wounds over the course of a season. By removing their body hair, cyclists help to make treatment and recovery easier in a number of ways. These include reducing the amount of oil and dirt that seep into open wounds, improving the adhesive ability of dressings and preventing discomfort from hair being torn out while cleaning the wound and removing bandages.
Massage
After completing a stage of a race, competitive cyclists receive therapeutic leg massages. Aside from helping cyclists to relax, these massages help to speed recovery and boost future performance, according to strength training expert Jamie Hale. By keeping their legs hairless, cyclists avoid the discomfort of hair being pulled or torn out over the course of these necessary post-race massages.
Vanity
While he acknowledges the above reasons for hair removal in his 2008 book, sports enthusiast Nicholas Hobbes claims that their benefits are minimal. Instead, Hobbes states that vanity is the main reason why cyclists practice hair removal. Although he believes that most cyclists will not admit to it, he lists showing off muscular definition to intimidate competitors, fitting in with other cyclists and personal preference as aesthetic reasons underlying hair removal.
References
- "Higher, Further, Faster: Is Technology Improving Sport"; Stewart Ross; 2008
- NASA: What is Drag?
- "Tri-Newbies Online"; Tips on Shaving for a Triathlon: For the Men; Hazel Kent
- "Bodybuilding"; Therapeutic Methods to Boost Recovery; Jamie Hale
- "Who Would Win a Fight Between Muhammed Ali and Bruce Lee? The Sports Fan's Book Of Answers"; Nicholas Hobbes; 2008
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