CyclePig

photo by superfantastic

Do you love cycling on smooth asphalt roads but cringe when it starts to rain?
Do you have a nice clean hybrid or road bike and tremble in fear at the thought of riding single track….in the mud?

Perhaps then, you are a cycling mysophobe. Mysophobia is a real illness characterised as a pathological fear of contact with dirt.

So then, how do you know if you are a cycling mysophobe? You will feel tense around potential sources of contamination, and may feel breathless or nauseated as well. Your heart rate will typically increase and you may feel physically ill as a result. Many mysophobes engage in obsessive compulsive behavior like constantly washing their bikes. Some cyclists go to extreme lengths to avoid rides in which they might get dirty or sick, essentially cutting themselves off from the cycling community and likely being labelled as a fair-weather cyclist.

But Surely All Pigs Love Mud

This got me thinking about my own cycling adventures. And since this is CyclePig, I have to love the mud right…..WRONG! A bit of off-road and single track is fine, but when the path turns muddy it’s time to turn around and go home.

So is anyone else a cycling mysophobe?

And just so I don’t feel lonely, I did manage to find another mysophobic pig.