Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

(Image from slipstreamsports.com)

The Garmin Chipotle team was busy taking various politicians or “tors” out for rides last week during the Democratic Convention. Jonathan Vaughters was surprised when Senator John Kerry showed up on a ride with his own Garmin-Chipotle team kit, shaved legs and great cycling form. Kerry was also very knowledgeable about cycling and was getting together some anti-doping legislation. Kerry impressed the former pro Vaughters with his competence on the bike both uphill and downhill.

The shaved legs would be a campaign killer for the Democrat who was painted by Republicans as being elitist and looking French. Kerry and Bush were seen on bikes during the 2004 campaign. Kerry the ardent roadie vs. Bush the Mountain Biker. Outside Magazine had a contrasting profile of the two Presidential candidates.

Kerry had to be more discreet while on the bike and not wear a full cycling kit with the “tight” sissy looking shorts. That would not play well with the closeted homosexual crowd that looks down on anything that does not seem hyper-masculine. Tight shorts and shaved legs would be worse than any poor joke that Kerry could say, and the images like the wind-surfing pics that were displayed on Fox News ad-nauseum would only add to the woes of battling the GOP in culture-war issues.

After the 2004 Campaign was over Kerry was free to do what he wanted. He can now ride with a full cycling kit without worries that a block of voters would look down on him. No thinking twice of donning the white shorts of the Garmin-Chipotle team kit. Kerry has visited the Tour de France on numerous times and actually took a ride up the 21 switchbacks of L’Alpe D’Huez where he is featured on the GPM10 cycling tour website.

NY Times: John Kerry Eyes the Pack, With Envy | http://www.gpm10.com/schedule_bespoke.shtml | Garmin-Chipotle: My Un-Conventional Ride | Outside Magazine with Bush and Kerry | Go Clipless: President’s MTB