# opinion on saddle sores after 6 consecutive centuries?



## HFroller

I hesitate to ask the following question, because it sounds so stupid, but ... 

Three weeks ago I did six consecutive centuries and had saddle sores. Fact of life or should I replace my Fizik Arione saddle? 

It was a trip from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Valréas in France in six days, 6 times 110 miles. I carried a small backpack with tarp, sleeping bag etc., 13.5 - 15.5 lbs I guess. The first three days were OK, some discomfort that disappeared as soon as I stepped from the bike. Each night I used a (very mild) cortisone crème to treat the area. During the day I used Nivea. I'm allergic to lots of stuff, but I'm certain I don't react badly to Nivea. 

The fourth day a heatwave struck, with temperatures climbing to 95 °F on the sixth day. I was sweating like crazy. On the last day the saddle sores had become very painful. There was mechanical pain where the bones touch the saddle and a very unpleasant irritation where the pressure points are. 

I wore bibs from Shimano and Goretex and washed them every night. The Arione has never given me trouble before (longest trip I did before was 170 miles in one day). 

Is it the saddle, is it normal or did I do something wrong?


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## harryman

If you can trace it back to pressure points, I'd look into a new saddle. 

I'd recommend a true butt butter if you can find one you don't react to since they contain anti fungals and often zinc oxide to keep the nasties down when you're wrapped that tight for so long and on consecutive days. You can even mix up your own.

I often use diaper rash cream when I can feel some discomfort coming on after a long ride, it quickly helps clear up issues before they have a chance to take off.


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## ericm979

The backpack can't have helped.


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## Peter P.

You might have to progressively build up your butt's acclimation to such consecutive distances.

Did you examine yourself? Did you have broken skin? If so, the broken skin got infected. Antiseptic ointment at the end of the day. Keep the area dry at night. Try another chamois cream; something cycling specific. I'm not sure Nivea provides long lasting lubrication. It may break down with sweat.


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## HFroller

ericm979 said:


> The backpack can't have helped.


The backpack was part of the problem, I suspect. It has a mesh back and good ventilation - but not where the hipbelt meets my back. That area was soaking wet with perspiration after half an hour, and made the back of my bibs soaking wet too. 

I applied antiseptic ointment, but only after the ride. It worked. After a couple of days I could do Alpe d'Huez* and the Madeleine** without significant saddle sores. Perhaps I should have used it from the beginning. 

* (more myth than murderer)
** (a mean bastard, Ventoux class if you ask me)


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## Jay Strongbow

Mention of a tarp and sleeping bag lead me to believe you probably were't hoping in the shower right after the ride. If that's the case that probably didn't help.
It may have been a coincidence but the only time I'd ever had issues with sores was on a trip where I hung out wearing my bibs for sometime before getting to a shower.


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## HFroller

Jay Strongbow said:


> Mention of a tarp and sleeping bag lead me to believe you probably were't hoping in the shower right after the ride. If that's the case that probably didn't help.
> It may have been a coincidence but the only time I'd ever had issues with sores was on a trip where I hung out wearing my bibs for sometime before getting to a shower.


Interesting. I usually pitched the tarp, did some shopping for food, had a beer etc. before I took a shower.


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## Srode

getting out of the bibs and into a shower ASAP has made a difference in susceptibility to saddle sores for me. Also not using chamois cream helped.


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## dcgriz

I find the combination of bibs and saddle to make a difference for me. For long events I use the Asssos Mille, chamois creme (Assos or Eurostyle) and a Berthoud leather saddle that I can move around on. Baby wipes do when shower facilities are not available or time does not allow. Wipe, dry out, reapply creme, repeat at next interval.

Always carry all my stuff on the bike, absolutely never on me. Backpacks cause more concentrated sweat, as you found out, add more weight where you don't want it and also change your balance on the bike. For me this also includes Camelbacks. Try to keep the chamois as dry as possible.


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## bigjohnla

I agree with the "on the bike" approach. I have found that the convenience of the camelbak is more than negated by the extra hassle and the way it makes you sweat. if you are sweating so much you need a camelbak, you don't want 5 or 6 pounds hanging on your back. I get out of the bibs as quick as I can, dry off and go commando in some loose fitting gym shorts. Strip in the parking lot if you have to and rinse the nether regions with water bottle if that is all that is available. At the first sign of trouble down there , I generously wipe down with Witch Hazel.


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## HFroller

Thanks for all the replies & suggestions!

I now think my saddle sores were caused by a combination of factors. 

- Insufficient preparation and sheer stupidity. I had done only one century in 2015. I tried the backpack on a 20 mile trip, but nothing longer. And I raised the handlebars 3 cm (a bit more than an inch) two days before I left, because I suddenly thought that my usual, more sporty position would be unsuitable for six consecutive centuries. 

- The backpack, for all the reasons mentioned here.

- Poor hygiëne. I should have gotten out of those bibs as soon as possible each night. I also think that the Nivea didn't work. I'm trying Assos now, and I don't seem to be allergic to it.

- Bad luck. I'm not used to higher temperatures. The heatwave and the headwind that started blowing on day four (40 km/h or 25 mph according to the newspapers) made the trip harder than expected and probably impaired my resistance. The heat made me lose my appetite, too. 

Plenty of mistakes I'm not going to repeat. 
But the saddle had little to do with it.


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## TJay74

I personally cant stand nor ride on Fizik saddles, took me a bit but once I found the correct saddle and comfort position on my fit most of my saddle sore issues went away. I still use Belgium Budder on every ride, since I have done that I have yet to really get any sores from long endurance rides.


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## marathon marke

TJay74 said:


> I personally cant stand nor ride on Fizik saddles,


Where as I have found the Fizik Arione to be my best friend, with up to 300 miles in a day and no discomfort. But then, I have never had much of a problem finding the right saddle. I used the Selle Italia SLR until I found the abbreviated "apron" on the side gave me problems at anything over 200 miles.


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## HFroller

TJay74 said:


> I personally cant stand nor ride on Fizik saddles, took me a bit but once I found the correct saddle and comfort position on my fit most of my saddle sore issues went away. I still use Belgium Budder on every ride, since I have done that I have yet to really get any sores from long endurance rides.


Well, that points to another reason why I got saddle sores, I guess. 

I never had them before. I can easily do a century in bibs with very thin padding without any trouble at all (and without using chamois creme). I never thought saddle sores could become a problem. I didn't do any research on how to avoid them. A bit of searching on the web probably could have saved me a lot of discomfort.


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## pmf

When I think of saddle sores, I think of an infected, painful, large pimple-type growth in the crotch area. My wife sometimes gets a rash that she refers to as saddle sores, but that's not the same thing. Once you get one, you need to squeeze/drain it which hurts. Apply some acne cream before bed to dry it up. 

After cycling for years, I've found that the best way to avoid a saddle sore is like others are saying -- hygiene. Shower and get into lose fitting clothes as soon as you can. Keeping your shorts clean (which you did) helps, but showering ASAP is the key thing.


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## HFroller

pmf said:


> When I think of saddle sores, I think of an infected, painful, large pimple-type growth in the crotch area. My wife sometimes gets a rash that she refers to as saddle sores, but that's not the same thing. Once you get one, you need to squeeze/drain it which hurts. Apply some acne cream before bed to dry it up.
> 
> After cycling for years, I've found that the best way to avoid a saddle sore is like others are saying -- hygiene. Shower and get into lose fitting clothes as soon as you can. Keeping your shorts clean (which you did) helps, but showering ASAP is the key thing.


If you're interested in the tasty details ... My partner left a week later and came by car to Valréas. She inspected me, told me that I am the biggest idiot who ever walked the face of the earth, declared me incapable and not of full legal capacity, and told me that I had two spots where the skin was broken and where there was "a beginning of an infection". I also had a visible pimple in the crotch area, that I had squeezed (I mean the pimple, not the crotch area). Antibacterial cream took care of both problems in a couple of days. 

Around the pimple, but under the skin, were three or four hard "points", like small ball bearings. They disappeared after three or so weeks, the cream seemed to have little or no effect. 

Now that we have become so intimate ... I almost feel like a family member ... I'll confess that I used compeed the last day of the trip(*). Bad idea. 1) It's didn't stop the saddle sores from becoming worse 2) it's painful to remove 3) it leaves a sticky residu on the chamois that several washing couldn't remove (cleaning fluid worked). 

So yes, better hygiëne ...

(*) the most awkward moment of the trip was when the lady in the French "pharmacie" wanted to give advice and asked what I was going to use the compeed for.


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## TJay74

I have found that Noxzema face wash will help with cleaning the bacteria from the crotch region, Tea Tree Oil also helps once you are dried off from the shower to dry out the pimples/sores/cyst if they have formed.

As said though, get out of the shorts/bibs ASAP, the longer you stay in them the better the chances of getting a sore/infection. The chamois chafes the skin in that region which allows the bacteria inside the hair follicle and causes the sores. 

I get out of my bibs ASAP and then use handy wipes and wipe down to clean some of the sweat out. Then when I get home I use the Noxzema in that area in the shower and then wash and dry as normal.

My 1st year of cycling I was getting sores constantly and multiple ones. Now since I have changed my process I almost never get any.


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## pmf

Around the pimple, but under the skin, were three or four hard "points", like small ball bearings. They disappeared after three or so weeks, the cream seemed to have little or no effect. 

Yeah, that's the classic saddle sore ...

Now that we have become so intimate ... I almost feel like a family member ... I'll confess that I used compeed the last day of the trip(*). Bad idea. 1) It's didn't stop the saddle sores from becoming worse 2) it's painful to remove 3) it leaves a sticky residu on the chamois that several washing couldn't remove (cleaning fluid worked). 

What is compeed? Some euro woman's thing?

(*) the most awkward moment of the trip was when the lady in the French "pharmacie" wanted to give advice and asked what I was going to use the compeed for.[/QUOTE]


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## HFroller

pmf said:


> What is compeed? Some euro woman's thing?


Compeed is brand of 2nd Skin Blister pads.


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## wgscott

Six hundred years is a long time to be on a bike. I would definitely want a Brooks under my arse.


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## ozzybmx

I made a mix of Betadine, Sudocrem, Bepanthen and Preparation H (Hemorrhoid cream) for last years Simpson Desert race which is 130km a day for 5 days of soft sand and ass smashing corrugations. It went well and I made up such a big batch, Im still using it.

Used to get sores after 2-3 days of rides, now toss the chamois shorts off ASAP, shower and apply ghetto cream with no sores to complain about... sometimes it doesn't work out exactly that way and I get an occasional one, but not as often.


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## JCavilia

Opinion on saddle sores: I disapprove of them.

I have nothing useful to add to the good advice given above. Your phrasing just reminded me of Ghandi's famous reply when asked by an English journalist what he thought of Western civilization. "I think," replied the Mahatma, "that it would be a very good idea."


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## pmf

HFroller said:


> Compeed is brand of 2nd Skin Blister pads.


That still means nothing to me. What is it used for? To create blisters?


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## HFroller

Sorry, I thought Compeed, second skin etc. were well known in the US. Perhaps this can help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compeed. 

I'm certain I saw it when I lived in Austin (TX) but I don't remember the brand names. 

It's used by hikers with blisters on their feet. In those circumstances it works, sort of. I guess I found a new application for the cycling community. 



pmf said:


> That still means nothing to me. What is it used for? To create blisters?


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## HFroller

TJay74 said:


> The chamois chafes the skin in that region which allows the bacteria inside the hair follicle and causes the sores.


This raises an interesting question. To shave or not to shave? If I shave, I do it rather thoroughly, groin aera included. But for this trip I decided against it. Although I didn't expect saddle sores, I knew that the trip was going to be hard on my butt. I suspected that shaving and the resulting hair growth were going to increase the probability of bacteria infecting the hair follicles. Was I wrong?


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## Alfonsina

Try prid salve if you have cysts/ingrowns, but the hygiene needs to be mechanical rather than just a quick waft over with the bar of soap, so a try a salux cloth with soap and have a decent scrub, if your shower head has a jet setting use that also to help blood supply and drainage (or whatever). Neosporin on anything broken. I like a chamois to be a barrier cream, not a lotion, so I use a DIY that is lanolin based with no water or emulsifiers. As I am not a bloke, getting out of nasty shorts is an imperative. If I can't get home asap, I have some wet wipes and civilian clothes and will do a quick change behind the car.


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## Rokh Hard

saddle sores are bacterial infections.

the end of may i rode from SF 2 LA.....545 miles in 6days.....on the 7 day, when i rolled into LA i ended up in the ER, on a antibiotic and morphine drip for 15hrs......STAPH infection on my backside. ive had small irritations, "pimples", ect from riding before....but this was something completely different....."anal abscess" was the official call. that was in may.....i just finished the mammoth GF (my first and only long ride of the season, time and health issues keeping me off the bike this season).....and since last saturday i have been back to the ER every day.....to have my latest MRSA infection and anal cavity unpacked and repacked with medicated gauze. 

the MammothGF was great....awesome ride......felt great....no problems.....not until the evening after the GF, early morning......THAT pain started again.....oh fukk.....i know that pain.....that burning....like someone is holding a blow torch to your ass.....this time it is just to the left of the taint....i thought the first round of infections in may was bad.....this was a whole new experience in pain. last sunday, while in the ER the dr. squeezed and drain that fukker for 10mins.....to the tune of the most pain i have ever experienced, ever. i was crying like a little school girl in the ER. the worst....and i can take a buttload of pain, allot of it....but nothing comes close to this. 

i had MSRA in 2012, brought it back from a month long journey into the jungles and beaches of the andaman sea, Thailand. the staph manifested itself on my right shin of all places.....then it spread all thru the household.....daughter, then wife....not a bad as me, but they still had some nasty infections....i turned the living room into a clean room/MASH unit for two months..........but that was 3 years ago....no subsequent infections until this may on the ALC ride......i think i picked up the bug in the showers? reapplying cream? donno....there are several thousand people you are riding with over many days.....who knows.

things are shaping up now (2 weeks later)..... im on gobs of antibiotics, my stomach is a mess.....yesterday they gave me a "pack yer hole at home kit"......which now i see what the dr. has been seeing.....a HUGE gaping hole, cavity where my left taint/ass used to be....MRSA ate a HUGE cavity just left of my taint.....and now i repack that cavity with a string of medicated gauze twice a day.....yes its nasty, yes its like cutting a bullet out of your gut in a western movie...but at least im not driving to the ER every day. crazy shiit man.

im a clean dude. i shower 2/3 times a day. i get out of my cycling shorts ASAP.....im at a loss here......last year i was logging 200-300 miles a weeks.....but after the Lifecycle ride and resultant infection in may, i can hardly do 30mi without flare ups and now this. fukk me.

so......the plan is....im tossing ALL the shorts i wore on the SF 2 LA ride and all my rides since then. yeah.....thats a chunk of change.....but i think the MRSA bacteria has colonized my shorts and once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it.....cant bleach the shorts, cant put them in the dryer.....so out they go......all i need is one reason to shop for new bib shorts!!! YAY!!!! :thumbsup:


ps - ive got some KILLER pix of all this if anyone is interested in a 2week blood and puss fest. ive got a nice shot of a 7mm diameter puss and blood dripping hole in my ass/taint if you are into that sort of thing.....and im now wearing mens diapers....(i shiiit you not)......hey.......you try getting a bandage to stay in place down there......i tie myself into a knot twice a day in a effort to see what im doing with the tweezers and gauze string....the ER personnel recognized me from my stay in may.....they were puzzled as to why i have not changed sports.....hey.....gotta love cycling.


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## jfaas

Rokh Hard said:


> so......the plan is....im tossing ALL the shorts i wore on the SF 2 LA ride and all my rides since then. yeah.....thats a chunk of change.....but i think the MRSA bacteria has colonized my shorts and once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it.....cant bleach the shorts, cant put them in the dryer.....so out they go......all i need is one reason to shop for new bib shorts!!! YAY!!!!


Consider your saddle, too. In direct contact with your shorts for every ride. Disinfect it or replace it with the shorts. Good luck on your recovery.


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## Rokh Hard

thanks. its been a VERY frustrating season for sure.....was beginning to think i just cant ride anymore.....but im not finish problem solving yet!!

yeah.....have this saddle the carbon VSX for snake. ive had fit after fit, adj, adj.... i like it...but im thinking that where the relief there is a hard edge and it rubs me a bit, which over miles irritates a some hairs....then the bacteria get in there, game over. 


? Saddle Arione Versus X













so, in addition to tossing all my bibs that might be colonized with STAPH, ill disinfect the Versus and sell it, then try this one out....


? Road Saddle - Arione R3 Braided













? Arione R1 road saddles by Fizik - pro road racing saddle in carbon thermoplastic for the best cycling performance











heck....as a reward for all my PIA hassles, ill treat myself to a custom color saddle once i settle on one. :thumbsup:





jfaas said:


> Consider your saddle, too. In direct contact with your shorts for every ride. Disinfect it or replace it with the shorts. Good luck on your recovery.


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## ibericb

Rokh Hard said:


> so......the plan is....im tossing ALL the shorts i wore on the SF 2 LA ride and all my rides since then. yeah.....thats a chunk of change.....but i think the MRSA bacteria has colonized my shorts and once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it.....cant bleach the shorts, cant put them in the dryer.....so out they go......all i need is one reason to shop for new bib shorts!!! YAY!!!! :thumbsup:


If indeed you have a medical confirmation of MRSA, I would certainly understand your concerns. It's scary stuff, and I might even be inclined take your no-risk approach and throw it all out. But, just so you know, based on research trials for hospital laundry, that's not necessary. As it turns out MRSA is not that difficult to erradicate using normal laundry products and guidelines. Simple warm water wash with any decent detergent does the job pretty well. But to play it safe you could go ahead with a hot water wash (not ideal for long-term care, but it won't destroy things done atime or two), get at least a 10-minute time at hot water temp, and add a peroxide bleach into the mix (e.g., Clorox2). That should effectively eliminate any resident MRSA bacteria.

All that said, it's your ass, and your gear, and if you just want to toss it then do so. But wash it as described above first to preclude any pass-through contamination to others. While treatment of infected folks is challenging because of antibiotic resistance, destruction of the bacteria on clothing and other physical items isn't difficult at all.


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## ibericb

You going to toss all your furniture, toilet seats, bed linens, underwear, clothes, ... too? Just clean / disinfect it, and ride on. MRSA as a contaminant is pretty easy to wipe out. It's when it is an infection in a living being that it's problematic.


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## Rokh Hard

i wonder what my bibs would look like after bleaching. :thumbsup:





ibericb said:


> get at least a 10-minute time at hot water temp, and add a peroxide bleach into the mix (e.g., Clorox2). That should effectively eliminate any resident MRSA bacteria.





> All that said, it's your ass, and your gear, and if you just want to toss it then do so. But wash it as described above first to preclude any pass-through contamination to others. While treatment of infected folks is challenging because of antibiotic resistance, destruction of the bacteria on clothing and other physical items isn't difficult at all.



yeah. ive got some good kits that i hate to let go....however im not really excited to see if my laundry efforts are successful, yeah....ill just buy new bibs.....time to clean house anyway....they stuff piles up. time to go shopping!!! WHOOP!!! :thumbsup:


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## Rokh Hard

i can wash/dry the sheets and disinfect the toilet seats and furniture...yeah...ill toss my underwear that i wore.....also....most of those areas my ass is not lathered up in lotion and heat with chaffing for 6hrs.....i can disinfect most areas of the house....ive been thru this before....but the thought of the pad in my shorts being a fraternity for staph....im not down for that. time to go shopping!! got a new bike coming soon, might as well pickup some new kit!! WHOOP!!! :thumbsup:





ibericb said:


> You going to toss all your furniture, toilet seats, bed linens, underwear, clothes, ... too? Just clean / disinfect it, and ride on. MRSA as a contaminant is pretty easy to wipe out. It's when it is an infection in a living being that it's problematic.


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## ibericb

Rokh Hard said:


> i wonder what my bibs would look like after bleaching. :thumbsup:


Well, if you use the peroxide stuff, no problem, and it is very effective at disinfection. I use it every time on everything that doesn't see chlorine bleach. A year later bibs and jerseys still look as about as good as new with 2-3 washes per week about typical.




> .... time to go shopping!!! WHOOP!!! :thumbsup:


Cool! Retail therapy is usually restorative. It's also a good time to find deals on 2015 summer gear, and seeing some good closeouts on the carryover winter gear from last season.


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## Rokh Hard

actually.....ill toss the tired but fantastic Gore Xenon bibs (great chamois in that)....toss the strava GF bibs along with several others......but its time for a reorder of my custom kits....friends are asking for them.....hell....i might even give Rapha a try as a treat.





ibericb said:


> Cool! Retail therapy is usually restorative. It's also a good time to find deals on 2015 summer gear, and seeing some good closeouts on the carryover winter gear from last season.


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## Mambo Dave

Old thread, I know, but pertinent - these things don't go away for people who push their limits.

After three consecutive centuries over three consecutive weekends, the seams that hold my chamois to my bibs wore through the skin on my rear. That was a painful last 15 miles on the third century.

I treated the area with A&D ointment and took a few days off. For getting back on, though, since I had scabs and thin skin there already... I put strips of duct tape to act as a second skin (just like runners and hikers use duct tape as second skin) on the areas of my buttocks. *It worked!

*I know I would still have been in misery, or at least setting myself up to wear through the skin again - and possibly get an infection. Since no company seems to make 'second skin' patches big enough, duct tape will have to do. I will be trying my next century with duct tape strips on my butt in certain areas (probably two 5" long strips per side).


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## HFroller

Mambo Dave said:


> Old thread, I know, but pertinent - these things don't go away for people who push their limits.


I started this thread in 2015. Last year I made a similar trip in France, with slightly lower average distances, because I lost some time after being bitten by a dog. 160 km/100 miles per day. Longest day was 200 km/125 miles. The last 3 days were in the Massif Central. If you mention to folks there that flat stretches of road really exist, they look at you as if you're from Mars. 

New bike, but same saddle. No problems at all. Four things were different:

1) I had a proper bike fitting;
2) I used Assos chamois cream liberally;
3) I spent some money on better bibshorts (Castelli and Sportful);
4) I didn't carry everything in a backpack, but used a saddle bag (Apidura). 

I believe all four factors contributed to keep the saddle sores at a distance, but the most important ones were 1) and 2). 
Assos certainly is the best chamois cream I've ever used. The other ones I tried in the past weren't very effective (in 2015 I used Nivea moisturizing cream, not a good idea).


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## BelgianHammer

HFroller said:


> I started this thread in 2015. Last year I made a similar trip in France, with slightly lower average distances, because I lost some time after being* bitten by a dog.* .


HFroller,

Glad things worked out for you regarding the butt sores from riding.

Regarding the dog, what is going on in the Netherlands and Belgium??? I live in Belgium, and last year a full grown Belgian Malinois bore down on me (was not on a leash, owner just stood there disbelieving) as I was coming down a bike path. I couldn't get turned around in time, so I had to fight. Tried to get my bike inbetween me & the dog, but he was too fast. Thought about my bottles, hit him with one, he just looked at me like "that is all you got"? He then lunged and finally got ahold of my left calf. I managed to get a left hook upside his head and at the same time poked him dead in the eye. Owner was still taking her jolly time getting to us. It freaked me out. Since then, I've had 3 other dog incidents, but thankfully none where I got clamped & chewed like the Malinois did.

It never used to be like this in Europe. People always respected the leash laws, but anymore they don't. Calling, waiting and then reporting to the Belgian Police is useless, because by the time Belgian Police get there, these owners & their unnleashed dogs have disappeared into the wind.

Really pisses me off.

As you know (_being in the Netherlands_), we are not allowed to carry anything to defend ourselves in Belgium. Not even Mace, which is even illegal in Belgium. 

This dog crap has all started, for me, back in Jan/Feb 2017, and it just seems the world has become a more violent and uncaring place watching this stuff occur. I am apprehensive anymore. I actively stay off the Belgium/Netherlands canals now, because of this, which is a bummer because of their nice riding & being able to go everywhere.

Hope you have many years of good riding where you never see another dog, let alone have to deal with one.


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## HFroller

BelgianHammer said:


> HFroller,
> 
> Glad things worked out for you regarding the butt sores from riding.
> 
> Regarding the dog, what is going on in the Netherlands and Belgium???


 It happened in France, not in Belgium. 
Personally, I've never had problems with aggressive dogs in Belgium, but you are right: I see more and more dogs that aren’t on the leash. They can be dangerous without being aggressive. Just today I almost hit one while I was doing 20 mph. 


For those who like to know: the dog that bit me is on google streetview. It’s the brown one in the back. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.076...4!1sW9QAQoN7ZTyw-QaEULFr9w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

It happened on a sunday evening. The people that helped me in Ervy-le-Châtel were wonderful. The lady that ran the camping site called a (male) nurse who cleaned the wound. He refused to be payed. Next day, the lady drove me to a doctor in another village who checked me, prescribed antibiotics etc. He refused money too. "C'est la France ici, monsieur." Around noon I was riding again, with a huge bandage around my calf. 

But now that I think about it ... Perhaps the antibiotics helped against saddle sores too?


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## duriel

Check if bug spray is legal, the stronger stuff is almost as good as mace.... if you hit them in the eyes.


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