Originally Posted by
JanMM
I've seen too many accounts of innocent bystanders/bicyclists getting hit by flying snot .
I've never seen this happen, I don't know anyone who's seen this happen, and I don't know anyone who knows anyone who's seen this happen (as far as I know). And while I've heard it alluded to whenever the anonymous drafting issue comes up here, I've never read an account where someone has actually seen it happen.
I'd suggest pulling out a hankie/tissue/paper towel. That's what the rest of the world does.
Controlling a bike at speed while using a hankie is a good training technique.
Really, the whole rest of the world? 'Cause I see an awful lot of cyclists, runners, and skiers spitting and blowing snot rockets (skiers are the worst for snot rocketing). When skiing my hands are attached to ski poles, which makes reaching into a pocket for a hankie or really doing anything other than poling incredibly difficult (plus it would totally throw off my rhythm); when running I don't even have pockets; and when biking, yes there are times when I could grab a hankie and use it. However, in the winter when this is most frequently an issue I spend a lot of time riding in loose snow, and you really want to keep both hands on the bars in that case; plus I'm not interested in carrying a snot rag around with me, I think it's gross.
You gotta admit snot rockets look crude.
By all means, in a race anything goes.
I think that it's a matter of context, whether they look crude or not. Indoors: yes, exercising outdoors: no, as long as you don't blow into a crowd of people or anything. Of course it's possible that I'm just a crude guy, but I just don't find most basic human bodily functions (like mucus production and expectoration) all that gross.