I don’t generally get them, but for some reason I’ve been struck down by some nasty saddle sores this past month.  It’s got me to thinking what the heck I’m doing differently and what’s bringing them on.

Saddle Sore:

The development of saddles sores can be a bit of a mystery and I like the way that Cycling Tips explained things: “When it comes to establishing a cause, saddle sores come a close second behind an extremely rare neurological disorder affecting a cohort of Mexicans that have a gene pool in common with a Mauritian Prince.” 

Well, like many things I think some people are more prone to saddle sores than others and for some reason my body seems to be a little more prone than it has in the past.  There are several causes listed for what creates them, and these are just a few of them:

• Riding with wet or sweat induced shorts
• Exposing your butt to longer rides than you are used to
• Hanging around in your cycling gear for a long period following a ride
• Hair follicle infection
• Excessive heat/sweat on your bottom
• The wrong saddle for your butt shape

I guess I’ll have to chalk this one up to some un-explainable force in the buttocks universe, but some of the urban legend treatments out there are definitely helping me out and allowing me to keep riding.  We recently posted about Saddle Sores and included a great podcast on the subject.  We had some great comments come in with recommendations for a remedy and I can personally verify that they work quite well.

What do you feel is the main cause for saddle sores?

Photo c/o www.bicycling.co.za

Getting or having saddle sores is probably something us cyclists would like to keep to ourselves, right?  I don’t get them very often, but here I am publicly announcing that I just so happen to have a couple right now and they sure did make today’s ride a little uncomfortable.  Yeah, it’s a nasty subject to talk about so I’ll keep things very short.

My Cycling 360 co-hosts and I recently did a show all about saddle sores….including what causes them and a secret remedy to cure them (trying that one out myself right now).  It’s worth taking the time to listen in so that you can be sure to prevent this painful experience from happening to you this summer.

You can tune in directly to the podcast by clicking the play button below.  If you like what you hear, be sure to click the subscribe link as well so that all the podcasts will automatically be downloaded to iTunes or your MP3 player.  You can also check us out at www.cycling360media.com.

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The Saddle Sores Podcast from Cycling 360