| By Dave, on June 29, 2009, 9:11 pm (Found this here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1196254/Men-cycle-186-miles-week-face-fertility-risk.html) – Raises the question, does a Brooks saddle with the cut out solve these issues? Or at least help?) Spending too long in the saddle could affect a man’s chances of fatherhood. Cycling for long distances greatly reduces sperm quality and raises the risk of fertility problems, a study has revealed. It found that just 4 per cent of the sperm of athletes pedalling 185 miles a week – around 25 miles a day – were a normal, ‘healthy’ shape. In the most fertile men, the figure was up to 20 per cent. It said that saddle friction and tight, hot clothing could be to blame, while the position a man sits in could affect blood flow. This stress on the body results in an abnormal increase in special molecules which in turn alter sperm quality. Professor Diana Vaamonde, of Spain’s Cordoba University Medical School, told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s conference in Amsterdam that, even though the men tested were professional triathletes, anyone who cycles could be at risk. She said: ‘We believe all the factors inherent in this sports activity, especially with regards to the cycling part, may affect sperm quality. ‘Protective measures for these sportsmen need to be developed. These could include giving antioxidants and modifying training regimes. ‘Or we could take preventative measures by freezing athletes’ sperm.’ By Dave, on June 29, 2009, 8:06 am Stanley Park, 74 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6H, Canada It’s been a year since I started my transformation – good on me. No more smoking and eating healthy, focusing on ensuring my body was finely oiled and tuned to handle any situation. My mind went through quite the journey as well from events and issues that arose, however I think I made it out of this moderately well with minimal scars. Over the past 2.5 years I’ve had a real problem with sleeping, my mind races far too much when I rest my head on the pillow. Even after heavy activity and exercise, it seems I just have a problem “shutting down”. I laughed it was the house I was in was haunted, but it only got worse. Living in a new place I still suffer, and some times it becomes very frustrating when I’m lying there, wide awake, knowing that I’m to be awake in 3 hours for something very important. I eventually had to resort to speaking to a doctor and get on a medication. It slows me down, definitely and I am able to go to sleep. I’m doing my best to separate myself from this requirement, as I’m unsure if I’ll be able to a) have a stockpile to last the trip b) properly find/refill the prescriptions on the road. I’d like to hear about other peoples comments of sleep deprivation and what they are doing to solve the issue. By Dave, on June 28, 2009, 8:33 pm Stanley Park, 74 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6H, Canada [singlepic=25,250,175,right] I’ve got short arms for my body size, and it was difficult to find a rain jacket that would fit me properly. I took a gamble and ordered a jacket off the internet and I have to say,I love my Gore Bike Wear jacket. It does what it is supposed to, which is keep me dry. It looks good on me even when I’m not on the bike. Decent products, and depending on how well of a super sleuther you are in finding deals, it can be had for a reasonable cost. The only thing I am frustrated with it is the gigantic ad it has on the breast area. Like, I’m cool with a little logo on the back of the jacket or something on the wrist, but not something that is going to appear and be in the forefront of every picture out there.. [singlepic=27,250,175,center] Luckily I have a secret weapon. Non Toxic, Permanent, and doesn’t run off in water, Sharpie markers are your friend. They’ve saved me a few times when I was working with Marine Aquariums to keep things looking a bit cleaner. They’re also great for scribbling things down as well. Modifying my jacket is what I set out to do, and the result shown more accurately describes what I’d rather have on my jacket. [singlepic=28,center] Whaddya think? By Dave, on June 26, 2009, 8:05 pm Stanley Park, 74 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6H, Canada 7 days left until the first unsupported long term tour occurs. I keep waking up in the night thinking about things that I need to do, and still need to pick up. I have to control myself and make sure I don’t get caught in the trap of packing too much, but also don’t want to be the fool without the basic amenities. I’m notorious for filling a car for a weekend trip, so this will surely be interesting. Jen has agreed to do a lot of the planning for the meals, other than us raiding my cupboards for Tasty Bites, Mashed Potatoes and other easy to prepare foods. She has been focusing on “1 bag meals”. Hopefully we’ll be able to have enough nutrients to keep us going and not burn off too many calories and ‘bonk’. There have been some changes in the equipment – and many additions. It looks like we are about complete short of a laptop, a few other trinkets, which are entirely unnecessary for this tour. No blogging will occur while we are on the road, so for those looking to follow along, things may get a bit boring and repetitive. We will however be back with a journal report, and many photos. We’ve both changed our Thermarest pads to Outdoor Research/Exped Synmat 7 Deluxes. Our previous pads were certainly fine, however the size issue was making it difficult to pack in our waterproof bags. We sat one afternoon with our equipment at an outdoors store testing out how we could pack our bags, and the Synmats fit perfectly. They will provide added benefit in colder times. For the past week I’ve been sleeping on the pad, in my sleeping bag that was picked up from Taiga Works, a Canadian company that makes some excellent sleeping bags with features not found on others for very competitive prices. We’ve also both gone down the path and purchased some merino wool sweaters and shirts from Icebreaker. Many outdoors people rave about these products, able to be worn for days on end and not stink! This is a huge plus, not to mention their thermal regulation properties. Lately most of my time has been figuring out colour combinations for stuff sacks to segregate the equipment between the clothes. Hopefully these sacks are durable as they sure aren’t cheap! Overall, I am worrying about being able to make it to the destinations, ensuring that we are both trained and conditioned enough to deal with major hills and safety. We are discussing having our friends take my car to the festival we are attending and helping us get out of the first leg of the highway, as we want to make sure that we do not become a roadside casualty from the other attendees who may or may not be running on a proper amount of sleep, or braincells. By Dave, on June 22, 2009, 5:16 pm Stanley Park, 74 Alexander St, Vancouver, BC V6H, Canada In the past month I went through a personal transformaton. From Clean cut to SASQUATCH! The results (dependent on who you talk to) went from downright creepy, weird, and suiting. I’ve never grown my facial hair that much and its almost to the point where I can have a full mustache and beard. This is good news for bicycle touring, as it’s up in the air if I actually WANT to shave often. Out of sheer politeness I will keep myself clean cut in certain countries. I shaved my face once at the Burningman Festival, covered in Alkaloid dust and a bit of water. One of the worst experiences I never wish to relive. Rash and bruises and bumps made me look like I just went headfirst into a weedwhacker. Carrying “Foam” and “Gel” on a tour seems a bit much and extravagant, so I went hunting for a potential solution. MEC has this wonderful Oil by Cromwell and Cruthers that is light weight, and comes in a small package. [singlepic=24,250,175,right]They claim a single package of the stuff gives you about 100 shaves in its small 15ml package. Considering for the same price a canister of wasteful Foam or Gel only gives you 10-15 ish shaves this is a steal. Directions state: Wet your hands and face and drop 4 or 5 drops into your hand. Rub on face or area and add water should you wish to add more body. I hadn’t shaved in a week after my hair experiment so decided to try it out with a Schick Quattro razor one that had single-handedly cleaned me up the week before. I figured if this oil is really worth its salt, now is the time to prove it on a dull destroyed razor. To up the ante, I hopped in the shower after I applied the oil on my face.. Initial feelings were that the razor absolutely glided over my face without any effort. Over my neck up and down, and even sideways, I had no issues taking off hair, even revisiting spots multiple times because of the dullness of the razor.
I did however (and it states on the instructions) have to tap the razor a few times to dislodge the hair stuck in the razor, but that was it. Even working on my upper lip which is typically very painful didn’t provide as much as a problem. After the shower I got out and came back to work. My face feels silky smooth and pain free. I’m sold. I’ll try with a new razor and update via the comments section in a few days, however I feel this will be unnecessary. I’ve obviously got to stop being so cynical on the products that I’m finding, because they all seem to be working as expected or better! Get some!!
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