A winter jersey idea...

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like a winter cycling jersey that makes me look like this guy. All that foam would be plenty warm, but it would probably need some ventilation. Maybe a vertical row of surgical sutures down the front?

(Image from Seattlest)

There's ample precedent for such a jersey, of course. Just remember Super Mario at the prologue for the Giro. Cippolini was fined for wearing this skin suit and he didn't do well in the time trial, but more importantly he got his photo and his sponsor's logos on the front pages. Wearing this in Oklahoma might get me arrested.

(Image from The Daily Peleton)

Now, Mario had the actual musculature to complement the skin suit. I'm not exactly quite as buffed. In fact, I better resemble Patrick O'Grady's Old Guy Who Gets Fat In Winter.

(Image from Amazon.com with links to O'Grady's book)

I was thinking about writing something about the holiday eating season, but in truth, I've been slowly gaining weight all summer, fifteen pounds in total. It's tempting to blame it all on others, especially She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed and her understudy, Number One Daughter, but when I'm being honest I have to admit it's my own lack of will power. Instead of eating what I need, I eat what I want, and that's a bad habit. It's also a tough habit to break.

So don't think I'm being anti-social when I turn down the double-fudge, ultra chocolate brownies your wife made just for our shop dinner. It's one on my rare exhibitions of will power.