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NZ hotel bans cyclists' Lycra-clad loins

Move to tackle 'unsightly' tackle

A New Zealand hotel has struck a blow for dining decorum by banning Lycra-clad cyclists, lest elderly customers and wide-eyed kiddies cop an unwelcome eyeful of their "unsightly" tackle.

Visitors pedalling up to The Plough Hotel in Rangiora, on NZ's South Island, were greeted with a sign yesterday which read: "The bicycle is a beautiful object but they should never have invented Lycra! No Lycra shorts allowed please."

The establishment's co-owner, Mike Saunders, told the Guardian: "I am not against Lycra in general, just Lycra shorts. A lot of our customers are elderly or children and they don’t need to know that much detail about the shape of somebody."

He added: "Muddy football boots are fine. Tracksuit pants are fine. Jandals are fine. So far locals have respected the fact we are trying to enforce a dress code so they can eat their meals surrounded by people wearing trousers."

The decision found favour with Siobhan Tolhurst, who previously worked with Saunders at another eatery and explained they'd had "a number of experiences with large men in tiny shorts and that's not appropriate for children to see".

Sadly for the decency-conscious majority of cyclists worldwide, New Zealand is not the only place to suffer exposure to large men in shorts, or at least temporarily large men. Regular readers will doubtless recall last year's Manchester Lycra stiffy shocker. ®

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