feat: new post - ditch the lycra

New OG image with new file name and updated in hugo.yaml

content/post/ditch-the-lycra/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
++++
+title = "If You Wouldn’t Wear It to a Village Wedding, Don’t Wear It Bikepacking"
+date = 2025-04-28
+categories = ["Culture"]
+tags = ["bikepacking", "touring", "athlos", "gear", "merino-wool", "natural-fabrics", "bamboo"]
+slug = "ditch-the-lycra"
+image = "natural-fabrics-bikepacking.webp"
+description = "Why bikepackers should ditch Lycra for merino wool and bamboo. Natural fabrics breathe, wick, and ride better — and make you smell better too."
+keywords = ["bikepacking clothing India", "merino vs lycra cycling", "best fabrics for touring", "athlos clothing review", "natural fabrics for cycling"]
+drafts = false
++++
+
+Somewhere between the carbon bikes, the electrolyte gels, and the obsession with watts, cyclists forgot one simple truth:  
+**Nobody wants to see your junk at 4000 meters.**
+
+Especially not a confused shepherd who’s just trying to mind his goats.
+
+You, standing there in head-to-toe neon, feel less like a traveler and more like a lost traffic cone.
+
+---
+
+## Lycra Had Its Glory Days. Let’s Leave It There
+
+Lycra made sense when you needed to save half a second over 10 kilometers.  
+It made sense when your enemies were headwinds and milliseconds.
+
+It makes *zero* sense when you're bikepacking across places where the closest thing to a podium is a rock and a curious yak.
+
+Rolling into a remote village dressed like a misfired superhero?  
+Hard pass.
+
+---
+
+## Natural Fabrics: Performance Without the Peacocking
+
+Turns out, nature was doing technical apparel before we invented marketing departments.
+
+### Why Merino Wins:
+
+- **Temperature Control:**  
+  Freezing descent? Sweaty climb? Merino adjusts faster than your Instagram feed.
+- **Wicks Like a Pro:**  
+  It pulls sweat off your skin, not traps it like synthetic sausage casings.
+- **No Funk:**  
+  Wear it three days in a row. Smell like a human, not a forgotten locker room.
+- **Soft As a Whisper:**  
+  Fine merino isn’t itchy. It’s so soft it might make your overpriced bib shorts cry.
+
+### Bamboo: Nature’s Secret Weapon for Bikepackers
+
+- **Natural Odour Resistance:**  
+  Forget daily laundry missions. Bamboo keeps you fresher, longer.
+- **Thermal Adaptability:**  
+  Hot days? Cool. Cold nights? Warm. Magic.
+- **Skin Feel:**  
+  Softer than polyester. Gentler than ego on a bad climb.
+
+---
+
+## Bikepacking Isn’t a Race. Stop Dressing Like It
+
+When you’re on a loaded bike with 25 kilos of gear and an ambitious plan to cross three states, nobody cares about your aerodynamics.
+
+They care if you look like someone who belongs.  
+Someone they can share tea with.  
+Someone who doesn’t terrify the village children.
+
+Natural fabrics — merino, bamboo, organic cotton — let you blend in, breathe easy, and ride with actual dignity intact.
+
+We’ll be sharing more on bikepacking gear choices soon — stay tuned.
+
+---
+
+## Riding Spiti with Athlos (Because We Also Have Standards)
+
+For our upcoming Spiti expedition, we're partnering with **Athlos** — because they understand that gear should work *with* the rider, not turn them into a mobile billboard.
+
+And importantly — the Athlos gear doesn’t just perform well. It *looks* right for the road too.  
+Their muted colours, earthy tones, and subtle logos don’t scream for attention.  
+They blend quietly into the landscapes we’re here to ride through — and respect.  
+Learn more at [Athlos Gear](https://www.goathlos.com/).
+
+Merino baselayers, adventure shorts, convertible pants — designed to handle heat, cold, sweat, rain, and the occasional accidental nap in a roadside dhaba.
+
+Real clothes. Real roads. Real riding.
+
+---
+
+## Final Word: Dress for the Ride You Actually Want
+
+Bikepacking isn’t about winning.  
+It’s about arriving — a little dustier, a little wiser, a lot happier.
+
+Lycra? Great if you’re chasing KOMs.
+
+Out here?  
+Choose fabrics that breathe, flex, and forgive.  
+Choose clothes that work as hard as you do — without looking like you’re auditioning for a sci-fi movie.
+
+See you out there. Probably smelling a lot better.
+
+---
+
+## Curious About Natural Fabrics?
+
+We're putting **Athlos** gear through the wringer in Spiti — from sweaty switchbacks to freezing nights under a thousand stars.
+
+**Stay tuned for the full lowdown. No sugarcoating. No performance charts. Just the truth, the gear, and the road.**
+
+---
+
+*PS: No Lycra was harmed during the making of this article. Several egos might have been.*

hugo.yaml

@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ params:
         opengraph:
             enabled: true
             local: true
-            src: img/gearlama_blog_og_1200x630.webp
+            src: img/gearlama-blog-og.webp
 
     colorScheme:
         # Display toggle