And on a personal note...
I rode to work every day this week. Yeah, I know, for some people that's just another normal week, and to be honest, I've done that fairly often too. But I've had a minor problem, a sore point common to just about every cyclist. Saddle sores.
If you're sensitive about such things, you may want to stop reading right here.
I didn't have problems like this when I was younger. Maybe I had that legendary iron butt. My main problem was (and still is) lack of training time. In the last couple of years, I've had a great deal of difficulty with both infected hair follicles and simple abrasions. Heaping gobs of Bag Balm seem to help, but I feel like a greased up pig.
Toss in the leg cramps that I treat with Icy Hot, and I feel like a greased up pig who smells like a geriatric ward.
How do the pros handle this? They're in the saddle for long hours in all sorts of weather. I recall that Lance Armstrong tested positive for cortisone one year due to a topical application for saddle sores. Regardless, this is one subject the bicycling magazines won't touch.
But like I said, I never had problems like this when I was younger. When the weather gets warm and humid in the spring, I'll likely have problems with fungal infections too. It happens every spring. I've treated that with Micatin and it really seems to help. But that works by drying the skin, and if my skin is dry, I get abrasions. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed suggested that I simply stop riding, but that will never do. Besides, Number One Daughter believes that the family Ford is now her own. I gotta ride the bike!
Maybe the Brooks Professional saddle will help. I really like it. The saddle is like sitting in a comfortable old arm chair. It's well broken-in, and looks it. I'm hoping it relieves the pressure points and allows me to keep on riding.
If you're sensitive about such things, you may want to stop reading right here.
I didn't have problems like this when I was younger. Maybe I had that legendary iron butt. My main problem was (and still is) lack of training time. In the last couple of years, I've had a great deal of difficulty with both infected hair follicles and simple abrasions. Heaping gobs of Bag Balm seem to help, but I feel like a greased up pig.
Toss in the leg cramps that I treat with Icy Hot, and I feel like a greased up pig who smells like a geriatric ward.
How do the pros handle this? They're in the saddle for long hours in all sorts of weather. I recall that Lance Armstrong tested positive for cortisone one year due to a topical application for saddle sores. Regardless, this is one subject the bicycling magazines won't touch.
But like I said, I never had problems like this when I was younger. When the weather gets warm and humid in the spring, I'll likely have problems with fungal infections too. It happens every spring. I've treated that with Micatin and it really seems to help. But that works by drying the skin, and if my skin is dry, I get abrasions. She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed suggested that I simply stop riding, but that will never do. Besides, Number One Daughter believes that the family Ford is now her own. I gotta ride the bike!
Maybe the Brooks Professional saddle will help. I really like it. The saddle is like sitting in a comfortable old arm chair. It's well broken-in, and looks it. I'm hoping it relieves the pressure points and allows me to keep on riding.
posted by Ed W at 6:47 AM
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