As triathletes we often look at swimmers, cyclist and runners for ‘best practise’ in each of the three sports, and try and take the best bits for ourselves.

One of the big questions in cycling is ‘to shave or not to shave’! There are many different reasons people have different reasons for removing leg hair, from it’s faster, to I want to fit in. Furthermore, for us as triathletes there is also the added argument that swimmers do it, so we may be benefitting two parts of our sport.

I had always sat in the camp of “it seems like too much of a pain to be bothered with”. This all changed a few seasons ago when Specialized published the video below from the Win(d) Tunnel:

For the next two seasons I bit the bullet and shaved throughout the race season, but I still had issues, namely stubble being uncomfortable against clothing, particularly on my hamstrings.

This year I have therefore tried a different approach…the full leg wax! Having had the wax done yesterday lunchtime, I can confirm that it is quite painful, though this quickly subsided for me. I’ll try to keep you all updated on the re-growth period and any pros or cons I discover over the coming weeks!

Maybe time to shave arms next…

Steve

Men’s Captain