Training Day 8: Getting all butt hurt.

Total Distance: 73 miles Average: 11.5

After the long miles this week, this was a very painful day. I was very tired. I’ve found that bringing a chair with me is more useful than originally thought. It is extremely comfortable and allows me to reallly relax and get some energy back. But after these previous few days, this day was also a day of a sore rear. This is probably a topic that many are not interested in, but something I think cyclists need to hear…

So on this fourth straight day of riding, my butt HURT. As in, REALLY HURT. I am hoping that over the next couple weeks my leather saddle will break in more, and my butt will be less tender. I’ve also been putting on some neosporin to help with recovery. Moisturizer too.

But stopping riding is not an option. And so when your butt hurts, I find that alternating between ‘attacking’ (riding up out of the saddle) and regular riding helps alleviate a lot of that pain. Attacking on a fully loaded bike is not a trivial thing. You’re going to swerve and so its best to do it only if you’ve got the room and on a straightaway. I also try to maintain a good riding posture and keep my upper body still while attacking. And so using this technique I was able to get back to Tucson even with my achy butt!