What each sport actually presents to the sun
One map per discipline: the surfaces exposed, the angle, the duration, what removes protection from each, and the control that holds there.
Road running
Minimal kit, long duration, no shade and a body rotating through every angle there is. Running has fewer friction lines than most sports and a much bigger uncovered area.
Cycling and its exposed geometry
No other sport holds a body in one position for so long. That is what makes cycling's exposure map so sharply defined and so consistently misjudged.
Trail and fell running
Woodland one minute, open moor the next, four hours out, and a pack strap working away at your shoulders the whole time. Trail exposure is patchy, and patchy is harder to plan for.
Racquet sports and the fixed timetable
You do not choose when a match starts, how long it lasts, or when you get to stop. Tennis and its relatives are the clearest case of exposure being scheduled for you.
Field sports and the fixture list
Football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics all put a group of people on an open pitch at a time set months in advance. The unit of decision is the club, not the player.
Golf, the long duration case
Low intensity, minimal sweat, no shade and a very long time. Golf inverts almost every assumption in sports sun protection, which is why it deserves its own treatment.
Climbing and rock
Pale rock reflects, belays are static and long, and chalk removes anything you put on your hands within minutes. Climbing has the most awkward exposure map of any sport here.
The session brief
One email a month on exposure, heat and sun protection for people who train outdoors and people who work outdoors. No product recommendations, because we do not make any. Each issue carries a single clearly labelled sponsor line that has no influence on anything above it.
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