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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Daylight savings = sun = sunscreen

Image of bicyclist riding along shore at sunset
Today's tough adjustment was the lost hour from the advanced Daylight Savings Time. Of course, DST is a hopeful signal of warmer weather and longer days. And for bike commuters, DST also means more sun.

Life spans in general are increasing, and healthy activities like bike commuting can help you maintain your health for even more years. You certainly want your skin to last as long as you do, and you should prudently protect it. That means sunscreen.

If your bicycling is 30 minutes or less in the early morning and late afternoon, you may be fine without sunscreen. However, if you spend significant time outdoors during the high-sun periods in the middle of the day, you will definitely want to apply sunscreen. The higher the SPF the better.

For bike commuters, I have two pieces of advice regarding sunscreen:

1) Shaved legs make application easier. (Men, get over your insecurity.)
2) Don't apply sunscreen to your forehead, as perspiration will wash it into your eyes. That ain't fun. Your helmet should provide adequate cover, or you might consider wearing a bandana.
The good folks at Rivendell Bicycle Works suggest an alternative to sunscreen: loose, long-sleeved shirts:
Long sleeves keeps the sun off, and puckery seersucker doesn’t lay on your skin. A loose shirt flaps to cool you. The high collar protects neck, too, and can be turned up for Gobi-desert riding.
Hooray for the approach of spring.

Image: Web capture.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips

1 comment:

Paul Dorn said...

The Marin Independent-Journal had its song of spring (and Daylight Savings) it its paper on 03.12.07: Early start to daylight-saving time can revive fitness goals.