Padding My Stats and My Ass

When I originally started planning for my first Century Ride, I assumed that if anything threw me off my routine, it would probably be an injury.  As I give it more thought, the weather is running a close second.  When I plugged away at my weekly schedule, I was basically just throwing numbers into an empty spreadsheet.  I knew I had personal days to work around, but never really took into account bad weather.  Thankfully I padded my stats Week One.  Not intentionally, I was just so excited by that new car smell.  I got in an extra two days and was able to cruise longer than planned.  Before I knew it, I had broken a hundred miles in my first week of training.  Prior to that, my longest week was just over 80 miles.  So far, so good.

As week two rolled around, we had 5 straight days of storms.  Fortunately, I was able to find just enough blue sky to log some miles and stay on track.  But I'm guessing that's the last of the rain this summer.

And it’s not just the rain giving me heartburn.  I have a much bigger concern…The heat.  Just for fun, I decided to look at last year’s temps.  For example, July 20^th 2013, the high was only 92 degrees.  I just happened to have a 55 mile ride planned for that day this year.  Something tells me that when August roles around, rain is going to be a welcomed obstacle.  If I plan to hit 1,500 miles before the end of summer, I will definitely need to take advantage of any nice weather I can get and add a few extra miles just to be safe.

Stats are not the only thing I'm padding.  You will learn very quickly while riding a road bike that sitting on your saddle for any length of time sucks is not very high on your list of comfortable seating options.   

Saddle is fancy talk for bike seat

So why not go with a nice soft, padded seat like the one my Giant Sedona comfort hybrid?  

Giant Comfort Grove Plus

Well, over a long ride, a cushier seat will eventually give way to more pressure points as the foam or padding gets compressed.  They can even become deformed over time.  These seats also tend to be wider, which can lead to chaffing because more surface area means more contact points.  And more contact potentially leads to more rubbing.

They say the longer you train, the tougher your butt gets.  I can’t say for sure if that's the case with me or if I’m seeing results from other tricks I’m trying.  It’s probably a combination of both.  I'm up to about 20 miles before I notice any discomfort…usually.  There are some exceptions.  I spend a lot of time on the back country roads of Kutztown, PA.  It’s peaceful, beautiful, and completely unkempt.  Years and years of tractor and buggy traffic have left more than a handful of cracks in the road.

The longer your ride, the bigger those cracks seem to get.  It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to hit one after two hours in the saddle, but I'll give it a try:

If you have ever ridden in the back of a school bus, you probably remember hitting one of those bumps that would launch everyone right out of their seats.  Now imagine that bus is riding just on its rims when you hit that bump and you're sitting on a cinder block.  That’s what a small crack feels like after 40 miles.

But with every minor problem, some genius has come up with a solution.  I introduce to you... padded shorts.

And no, I do not own a pair of these baboon inspired riding shorts.  But these are hilarious and I felt a great way to illustrate the padding.  I currently have your standard store brand and they have done the trick so far.  But since I keep tacking on to my Sunday rides, I figured it best to upgrade.  And yes, I do go commando.  Most people do.  I’ve heard some people will go with a pair of compression shorts.  I personally think there's enough compression as is.  Either way, you definitely don’t want to go with any underwear that could bunch up or you’re just asking for some chaffing. 

This is also leading to a contentious situation in my dining room.  Even though it’s been a few weeks since I got my new bike, I still keep my old bike in our incredibly, overly crowded dining room, which has unintentionally become some sort of cycling storage facility.  I’m sure this drives my wife and her OCD a tad bit crazy.

To be fair, I do still ride my comfort bike to work.  But I tell my wife it’s because I don’t want to lock my new bike up to a chain link fence and leave it unattended all day long.  The truth is, I love that cushy seat on my Monday morning commute; especially after putting in a long Sunday ride. 

There are other things that you can try.  I like to stand up at least once a mile.  This allows for a little extra blood flow to the offending areas, not to mention changes up the contact points ever so slightly.  And definitely be proactive.  Keep an eye on the road, and  try to get up out of the saddle before you hit any bumps.

Little by little, life is getting easier in the saddle and I still have a few tips and tricks that I haven’t tried yet. Chamois Butt’r Skin Lubricant anyone?   But no matter what I ride, what I wear, or even how long I train, I’m pretty sure that at the end of my Century Ride, I’m going to have one hell of a sore ass.