didn't[/I] work so well for me on the road bike), I've been over 20 miles in jeans with a normal jeans waistband and a big stonkin' crotch seam, with no trouble at all. There are one or two women here on TE - granted a very small minority - who never wear cycling shorts at all. It's whatever works or doesn't work for your particular combination of anatomy, geometry and saddle.
Anyway, the article's answer to the whole issue is "get out of aero position and, if you need to, get a noseless saddle so you're way upright AND can't steer or balance properly either."

Nothing suggesting that something in such direct contact with the human body might need to, like, actually,
fit.

It's completely typical of the NYT fitness reporters to identify a real problem and then tack on a conclusion that says, basically, don't exercise.