New Zealand hotel bans Lycra shorts to avoid 'unsightly bulges'

A hotel in New Zealand has banned Lycra shorts in an attempt to remove any "unsightly bumps and bulges" during breakfast. Mike Saunders, co-owner of the Plough Hotel in Rangiora, North Canterbury, said he wants to "set the standards" by making sure people wear trousers when they arrive for their morning meal.

Saunders has even placed a sign outside his hotel reading: "The bicycle is a beautiful object but they should never have invented Lycra! No Lycra shorts allowed please" to inform his customers of his strict new rule.

"It's just a little unsuitable, we don't always want to see any unsightly bumps and bulges," Saunders told Stuff. "We get a nice group of customers out here, some elderly folk . . . when you're trying to concentrate on your breakfast you just want to see the sausages on your plate."

Siobhan Tolhurst, who previously for Saunders at another cafe, backed the hotel's Lycra ban. She told The Guardian: "I fully support Mike's ban on Lycra. Because when the cyclists come in they do stink, they are sweaty and it is unhygienic sitting on the furniture and everyone, including little children, partaking in their post-exercise demeanour. We had a number of experiences with large men in tiny shorts and that's not appropriate for children to see."

However, Pegasus Cycling Club chairman Tracy Clark said the move showed a "lack of understanding" about cyclists. She said: "There's people in New Zealand now who have grown up disconnected from bicycles, have no understanding of what it is to get out there and ride and see the scenery, they are interested in getting in their car and driving place to place."