Long Distance Cycling::Avoiding Saddle Sores

•	Recheck your bike fit. I talked to someone from the Colorado Sports Medicine Center about a persistent sore at the top of my left leg. She measured both my femurs and found my left femur is slightly longer than my right. This means that as I peddle, my left knee sticks out more than my right causing rubbing on my left side. She suggested that, short of cutting out a piece of my femur bone, I get a 1 mm thick insert for my left shoe, made out of neolite. This would fool my left leg into pushing back slightly and be even with my right knee. I went to a shoe repair store and had a 1.5 mm insert made (thinnest thickness the guy could make) and my persistent sore went away, and I don't wiggle around on my bike seat so much (hopefully saving a bit of energy).
•	Wear new or new-ish shorts on long rides. Use those comfy stretched shorts from 2 years ago on short rides; the chamois can break down and rub on older shorts.
•	Get shorts without seams in the chamois. Patagonia women's pursuit bike shorts don't have a seam. They are about $69. Patagonia's number is 800 336-9090. Cannondale often has shorts with one piece chamois, especially the ones they make for racing teams.
•	Smear Vaseline or Bag Balm on your tender parts. You can get Bag Balm at a pharmacy or by mail order . It's supposed to be for cow udders, and has some antiseptic in it. A nurse who did BMB with me suggests fortifying Bag Balm, and I found this works even better than Bag Balm alone: 4 parts Bag Balm 2 parts lotrimin (monostat, a yeast infection cream) 1 part hydrocortisone (such as cream for poison ivy that lists 1% cortisone to stop swelling). Mix with spoon.