Lspade

I am a mouth breather. This didn't mean much to me until I had a bystander at my last race make fun of me for having my mouth wide open for the entire race. And he was right! I was looking at some pictures of my last race and I am the only one with my mouth wide open in EVERY picture. See:

https://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10218629266

I doubt you had any trouble finding me in that photo. So what is the point to this post? When I finish a race my throat is dry and painful for the rest of the day. How the heck do you guys ride your hardest with your mouths closed?!?! Am I doing something wrong?

mattm

I breathe through my mouth exclusively while racing/riding hard. Nose just doesn't cut it.

But not that open! lol

Ygduf

lol. great pic. doesn't your jaw get sore?

tetonrider

you're in good company. famous mouth-breathers include tony martin.

Ygduf

I'm a huge mouth breather, too. You gotta embrace it and/or work on making it a grimace.

MrTuner1970

That is so not aero.

koolerb

Me too, cant get enough air through my nose.

Lspade

Tony Martin just became my new favorite pro to watch, haha. Thanks for all of the photos guys! Do any of you ever have a dry cough all day after a race?

koolerb

On colder days yes.

jsutkeepspining

i always have a cough after any type of hard effort on the bike. It drives my mom nuts after a hard ride when we're eating dinner and i'm just coughing none stop.

Astrozombie

Isn't that like putting a blower on your car though??

Ygduf

8mph doesn't make much wind anyway.

My friend who finished 1 behind me had an even better pic

tetonrider

i'm guessing he was referring to t.martin, not you, but...

if you post pics like that of your friends, what do you do to enemies?

rbart4506

Good to see I'm not the only grimacer. I always look like like I'm either in severe pain, or having issues pitching a loaf

Ygduf

Oh, didn't occur to me as Martin is fast and I am slow. Guilty conscience, or something.

Nah, I _only_ saved that picture for three reasons, I know the guy and thought it was hilarious, my picture was 95% as bad, and I finished the place ahead of him so that was what he looked like chasing me. That's at the end of a 7-minute hilltop finish. There are not many composed pictures. Maybe the winner looked good.

waterrockets 

I only breathe through my nose when I'm spot checking tempo pace w/out a power meter, like when mountain biking. If I can get up a steep hill nose-breathing, then I'm riding with low enough power. In races, I'll nose breathe in the pack, but can't do so when things get cracking.

shovelhd

I race against this guy a lot. This picture always cracks me up. Good guy, good racer. I am soloing OTF for the win and he is chasing.

shovelhd

Quid pro quo. 1 lap to go before soloing to a win at an NCC race. No oxygen, no form, nothing left.

Looigi

It's better to grin like Horner than to grimace.

Lspade

Haha I am really lovin the dude in the blue kit as that is what all my photos look like!

rankin116

Haha shovel that guy looks terrified. Really one of the few times I have actually lol'ed. Holy **** that picture is funny. I keep going back to it and laughing even more. He looks like one of those claymation characters from Wallace and Gromit.

MrTuner1970

Actually I was referring the the OP. I'm sure a mouth that open would take away 0.5 mph.

You know it's a tough race when everyone has their Voeckler face on.

furiousferret

I try not to mouth breathe until my HR reaches 150+; it seems to control my lungs from clogging up. Focusing on my breathing really helps my allergies and asthma, which is quack science the pharmas dismiss, but works with a lot of people.

Ygduf

I have bad allergies. Grew up a mouth breather.

Grow a longer mustache and it will minimize the gaping hole in your face.

wanders

At first I thought this was an indictment of cross racing.