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Post-century soreness in unmentionable places

10.21.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

I got home from work and decided not to ride this evening. Tuesdays are the only day of the week I get home at a reasonable time, and can fit in a ride of an hour or so. My usual Tuesday routine is to head for the Veloway, and do several laps around the track. Five laps will give me a nice 21-mile round trip from the house and back.

But today when I got home (after stopping to cast my ballot in early voting) I thought twice about it, and decided not to go. The reason is simple. My taint hurts like someone kicked me there! On Sunday, I did an easy nine-mile recovery ride, and was very uncomfortable the entire way. Today, when I assessed the tender spot, it felt as though there was some bruising there. Can’t see anything, but I sure can feel it.

So — no biking for a few days. I’ll be out of town Friday and Saturday, and wouldn’t be able to bike in any case, but I’ll see how I feel on Sunday, and with any luck, I’ll be back in the saddle then.

Looking back, I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of an item in the century ride’s goody bag — a one-use packet of Chamois Butt’r. I had made liberal use of my new favorite — Body Glide — before heading out to the century. But of course that stuff will wear off. If I had half a brain, I would have put the Chamois Butt’r in one of my jersey pockets, and used it at about the halfway point in the ride.

I know that some veteran riders will tell me to HTFU — but I’ve ridden 2,300 miles this year, and I think I’ve done enough saddle time that I ought to be hardened. Wonder if I need a new saddle? I’ve always liked the one that came with the bike, but lately, I get uncomfortable on it after an hour or so. Maybe I need a thorough professional bike fitting? I got the free (and rather cursory, in my opinion) fitting when I bought the bike. I’ve made some adjustments since then that seem to have improved things, but obviously, it’s not enough.

Well, time heals all wounds. I’ll take a few more days off, then hit the roads again.

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Categories // soreness, training Tags // bike fitting, saddles, sore butt, soreness, Veloway

Bibs or shorts?

09.03.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

From time to time, I have alluded to problems I have with my posterior region. Sometimes, my butt just plain gets sore when I ride. I’ve dealt with the problem by spending some real money and getting high quality biking shorts. And on Father’s Day, Mrs. Noob Pat gave me a pair of bibs.

Chatter on Bike Forums gives the nod to the bibs. People generally think they fit better and are overall more comfortable than regular shorts.

That’s not true for me.

My shorts and bibs are both by Pearl Izumi. Both have the same generous Race 3D chamois. But given the choice, I’ll pick the shorts over the bibs.

I still get the sore butt occasionally, but not as much as before. I get it with both the shorts and the bibs, so neither gets the nod for greater bottom comfort.

The mesh top and straps of the bibs do seem to add an extra layer to my clothing, and in the Texas summer heat, that can add to my riding discomfort (despite what I said about them in that earlier post). I’m not crazy about the way the straps feel over my shoulders. The bibs are supposed to have a slimming quality to them, but I’m not seeing it (Lose weight, fat boy!). And answering the call of nature while wearing bibs can be a real production. Better find a public john somewhere, because a lot of your kit will be undone in order to tend to business.

Anyway, I know I’m something of a maverick here, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. When it’s time to get a new pair of bottoms, they’ll be shorts — not bibs.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // bibs, bike shorts, sore butt

It’s a long, slow road to progress

06.22.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

Today should have been a great ride. I decided to combine two rides I do often into one, and come out with about 35 miles. I did the ride as recently as last week. But today it was agony.

Things started out great. I headed out Mopac, which I’ve mentioned here before. Traffic is generally light on Sunday mornings.

The shoulder on Mopac disappears at several places. The SUV was probably moving at about 65 mph. The bikers ahead were on hybrids, and I was catching them fast.

I felt good as I finished up the Mopac loop, and headed north to pick up Southwest Parkway. Southwest Parkway is also a four-lane divided highway with (usually) generous shoulders. Traffic can be heavy, but it’s a biking favorite, because it’s fairly hilly. I took advantage of the long downhill once I hit the parkway, and reached a speed of 37.8 mph. I detoured through a pleasant residential neighborhood for a few miles, and just before the route rejoined the parkway, I stopped for a break at about 22 miles. The Larabar in my pocket was good, and I finished off one of the water bottles and took a swig from the second. I stretched a bit, walked a bit, and headed out.

I had to go back up the long hill I’d flown down, and I felt as though I lacked energy today. I got up it all right, but didn’t feel the snap to my pedaling that I do on a good day. At the top of the hill, I paused for a picture of some fabulous houses that hug a ridgeline.

These houses are along a private road that dips down into a valley. It’s popular with bikers who really like to hammer hills, because most riders start in the valley and come up along the houses.

By this time, I was getting concerned because my butt was really bothering me. I was wearing my new bibs with a generously-padded bottom, and I’ve liked my saddle since I first got it, but today I couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I was pleased that I could deal with the discomfort well enough to get up the the steepest hill on the route — slowly, but at least smoothly. From this point, it’s only about five miles to home, with some nice fast downhill stretches.

But I think the heat was getting to me. It was about 92°F (33°C) — nothing I haven’t been used to this summer, but not this far into a ride. I was slogging. The going was made worse by the fact that the city is laying new chip seal on a road near home, and it was rough and unfinished.

Just as I turned the corner to head into my own neighborhood, my left thigh cramped up — painfully. I couldn’t turn the crank, and almost had a clipless fall until I could regain control, stop, and dismount. I shook the thigh to loosen it up, while a pair of turkey vultures perched on a light standard across the street hoped I would just collapse already, so they could have lunch!

I didn’t collapse until I got home, though. I gulped down a pint of water and fell into bed. I was baffled why things finished with such difficulty today. This ride wasn’t any farther than I’ve gone a number of times before. It was on familiar roads. I carried adequate water and food, and was pretty good about drinking every 10-15 minutes. My average speed was slower than usual, but only by about a half mile per hour.

I figure the heat must have had something to do with it. It was the only variable that had changed, being hotter today than the last time I rode this route. And I must admit, I probably did push it more than I should have on the Mopac portion of the ride, when it was a bit cooler.

Still, if I’m going to increase my weekly and long ride mileage to get ready for some new biking challenges, I have to figure out why today left me with so little energy. And what’s with the sore butt?

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Categories // Rides, training Tags // bonk, cramp, heat, Mopac, sore butt, Southwest Parkway

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