The Kirks

Now there’s a blog title which hasn’t ever been posted before. 

In response to the photos from the cycle ride I did up Puig Major and Sóller, a couple of people mentioned the rather natty yellow band round the left leg of my cycling shorts.  These are my Lance Armstrong Anti Cancer Pants.  My old cycling shorts were wearing out and causing all sorts of mayhem “down below” and so when I was in Mallorca, I went to buy some new shorts.  I’ve always liked bib shorts and they’re definitely the most comfortable so I was looking for some of them.  The shop had literally hundreds.  However, I found a pair made by Nike with the usual “swoosh” logo, a yellow band round the left leg and the legend 10/2 in the side panel. 

The 10/2 refers to 2nd of October 1996 when Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer.  Nike sponsored him at the time and stood by him during the whole treatment and recovery thing.  This is all breathlessly, annoyingly but in a strange way compellingly documented in “It’s Not About the Bike”.   So Nike now support Livestrong which is Armstrong’s anti cancer charity and the Nike 10/2 range donates money to the charity.  Armstrong seems to create a huge amount of ill feeling because he’s…err…pretty proud about winning the Tour De France 7 times in a row but his charity is a good thing.

However, an even better thing is that these are the best bloody cycling pants I’ve ever owned.  They’re incredibly comfortable, they don’t ride up and you can sit in the saddle for hours in them and you just don’t get sore.  They’re so good I had to go and buy another pair.

Buy a pair of them if you cycle.  Your bottom will love you forever and ever.