The staff here at the Sunshine Coast Bike to Work Week office get along well for most of the year. In the time leading up to the big week, however, collegial relations get a bit strained.
Overall, we tend to be competitive. So, when the administration called a meeting in April to determine who could claim one of the coveted editorial spots in The Coast Reporter, the atmosphere of our main meeting room quickly went from formal to free-for-all.
The IT department wanted to make up for last year’s dud on specifications of electronically-activated dropper seat post technology by writing a humorous piece this year. Jokes involving Python function errors just aren’t as funny as they used to be, we had to explain.
This year, a member of our training team suggested a bike race, with those placing first, second and third winning the honour of penning one editorial apiece. We celebrated this idea for all of one lunch break until our lead technical writer brought the plans to a halt pointing out the inverse relationship between gluteal strength and compositional skills amongst our staff.
Finally, a group of managers decided that the only fair selection process was random draw. This is how I, the one remaining staff member from a once robust fibre-technologies department, am now publishing this article.
Appreciation for the value of a quality cycling short chamois has fallen off in recent decades and seems unlikely to recover the status it held when my department was fully staffed and bustling. At one time, my colleagues in the cycling attire wing got behind the issue, recognizing the importance of not just padding but wicking quality and finish of a high-end chamois. Yet even they have now turned their attention to more stylistic concerns such as rigid piping and aerodynamic zipper styles. Yet, the chamois is all that comes between the cyclist and the saddle. This is what bears one’s weight under force. When the dynamics of moisture and friction are thrown into the mix, the situation gets complex.
The chamois is the ultimate interface between one’s person and the external world, whether racing for the 6:20 ferry on a sleek Campagnolo or meandering the winding roads of Halfmoon Bay on a hand-me-down Supercycle.
So, if there is one piece of advice that you pack as you head into Bike to Work Week, it is this: Don’t skimp on the chamois. You will thank me.
