Prevention is the best remedy for saddle sores

During my first effort to cross the U.S. by bike in 2016, I developed such bad saddle sores by day four of my westward trek that I had to call my girlfriend and beg her to give me a ride home.

I was in pitiful shape. I was so sore from the bleeding, quarter-sized popped blisters on my backside that I could not bear to sit on the seat of my bike, or at the picnic table in the day-use area on the Blue Ridge Parkway where my adventure came to its untimely end.

There was no way I could continue riding the more than 4,000 miles remaining to Oregon. I had to change plans.

Three weeks later, after a strict regimen of sitz baths and Neosporin applications at home, I was back in the saddle, headed in a new direction. Over the next four weeks, I rode more than 1,500 miles from DC to Bar Harbor ME via Pittsburgh and Erie PA.  I am happy to report that this time I had nary a blemish on my derriere.

This is because I had taken a number of steps to prevent the sores. I had switched to a better saddle and higher-quality, padded cycling shorts, and I was applying chamois cream to my backside several times daily. Chamois cream is a lubricant intended to reduce the friction that can cause sores.

In addition, I was carrying two pairs of cycling shorts, washing the used pair at day’s end and drying them on the bike the next day, so I always had a clean pair to wear each morning.

I also either took a shower, or at least cleaned my nether regions with baby wipes, every evening. If there were the slightest indication of irritation or abrasion, I also applied a thin coat of A&D Ointment or Desitin to the affected area.

On top of all this, I took at least one full rest day every seven to ten days to give my backside a break from the saddle.

To this day, several thousand miles of touring later, these same protocols have kept the sores at bay.

Some cyclists have told me that they’ve never had issues with saddle sores. But many have shared the misery.

The sores, along with being major pains in the rear, have been responsible for the premature conclusion of too many tours.

Do what you can to prevent them from ruining your own tour.

I wasn't smiling four days later

This Brooks Imperial B17 saddle treats me right