What is a black sock day?
The weather’s looking a little gloomy before the ride. The roads are wet from last night’s rain. If either (or both) of these are true, it’s a black sock day. It’s a day when you should put those pretty white or coloured socks back in the drawer and reach for the black socks.
Road grime, that wet dirt that splashes up from the road, onto your legs and down into your socks has magical staining properties. It can ruin any colour of socks unless they’re black. Black socks on the other hand are impervious to road grime, or any grime for that matter. They arrive at the cafe at the end of the ride with much the same look that they had when you started the ride.
Black socks survive conditions that will destroy white socks. Look at the white socks pictured above. They were brand new at the start of the ride! While I’m not a fan of black socks generally, (unless you are wearing dress shoes and a suit) every cycling wardrobe should have at least one pair. Mine sit in the drawer just waiting for the right day.
If you do get caught out with the wrong socks on a black sock day, there’s always truck wash – but that’s another story.
