Spending a lot of time on the bike means you’re likely to experience saddle sores at some point during your triathlon career – here’s how to prevent and treat them.
Saddle sores are a literal pain in the behind, usually occurring due to chafing of soft tissue that makes contact with your bike saddle. Given the low, forward-rotated position favoured for triathlon – sometimes perching on the very end of the saddle – triathletes are perhaps more prone to developing them.
The sores themselves come in a few varieties from large spot-like prominences to boils or even lesions where blistered skin has perforated. In any case, it can be incredibly painful and put an end to bike riding for weeks if untreated or agitated by more time in the saddle.
Preventing saddle sores
Avoiding saddle sores in the first place is definitely better than searching for a cure, so here are our top tips for keeping them away.
Use chamois cream
Originally applied to the leather short chamois of yesteryear, a good chamois cream helps reduce friction between your shorts or tri suit and skin while also helping to lubricate skin-on-skin contact. Some have antibacterial qualities that help reduce the likelihood of sores too.
Apply the cream in a thin layer onto everywhere that there might be skin-on-skin contact as well as wherever your backside touches your seat pad. Another tip is to keep your cream to yourself and avoid sharing posts with others to avoid the risk of bacteria spreading.
When it comes to picking the right cream for a triathlon race, choosing something a little thicker and longer-lasting will help preserve as much of the chamois cream as possible during the swim. Castelli’s Linea Pelle is great for this and also has a pump mechanism so there’s no pot-sharing either.
Take your shorts off right away
Sitting in your sweaty shorts as they cool is inviting a bacterial breeding ground, especially with open pores after exercising. Getting your shorts off as quickly as possible after the end of your ride means the least time possible sat with bacteria around delicate areas, so whip them off as soon as you can.
Wash your shorts after every ride
Once you’ve taken off your shorts, don’t be tempted to let them air out and use them again – that bacteria’s likely to be there waiting for you. Plus, think about how it’ll spread if the shorts go back in your kit drawer with clean items… like goggles.
Instead, get your shorts in the wash so you can be confident of a clean pair every time you ride. If you’re already suffering from saddle sores, avoid washing your shorts with other athletes’ gear, just to be on the safe side.
Wash yourself after every ride
Keeping your kit clean is one thing, but it’s just as important to give yourself a good wash too. It can sometimes be tempting to skip the shower if you’ve had an easy ride and not sweated much, but washing with plenty of hot water, shower gel and scrubbing yourself (carefully) with a shower puff will help keep those pad contact areas clean and free from sore-causing bacteria.
Try different shorts or saddle
If you’re doing all the above and still getting chafing issues or repeated saddle sores, the solution might be as simple as trying a different pair of cycling shorts or finding a saddle that naturally fits your anatomy a little better. Unfortunately, finding the perfect balance for these two key contact points on the bike is really just a case of trial and error.
That said, you do often get what you pay for with cycling kit – more expensive is often better made with variable thickness pads and more technical fabric. Once you find a combination that works, however, we’d recommend investing in a couple of saddles and multiple shorts, so you know that you’ve got a back-up in case they become unavailable and won’t have to go through the process again too soon.
Check your bike setup
The aggressive hips-rolled-forward position that’s so conducive to the aerodynamics on a triathlon bike naturally means that you’re resting more on your soft tissue than your sit bones. This makes the effect of saddle height more pronounced – too high and the rocking from side to side that you might get away with on your road bike will rub you raw. Likewise, the angle of the saddle can make a huge difference in how pressure is distributed, so make small adjustments to see how it affects your comfort.
Treating saddle sores
If you’ve already got a saddle sore, there are a few things you can try to mitigate the swelling and discomfort, but you should also make sure that all your kit is thoroughly cleaned so as not to re-infect yourself.
Time off
If you’ve got a saddle sore, don’t risk riding your bike. Doing so will only exacerbate the condition or worse still, cause a lesion that will take even longer to heal.
Getting back in the saddle too soon is likely to extend the length of the sore’s stay, so even once you think it’s gone completely, give it a couple of extra days before riding again.
Air out your saddle sore
Getting plenty of air to a saddle sore helps stop sweat and bacteria build-up. If you have the chance, wearing loose shorts with no underwear – or even just a towel – around the house can really help with this. Avoid sitting for prolonged periods or rest on your side where air can still reach your skin.
Apply cream
There are several remedies you can apply to try and clear saddle sores. Some riders swear by a simple antiseptic cream such as Savlon while others opt for an antibacterial cream like Sudocrem, which is used to treat nappy rash. Both are easily accessible at pharmacies or supermarkets and can make getting over your sores a little bit quicker and less painful.
Be careful doing other activities
Continuing running and swimming when you have a saddle sore is possible with care, but go gently to make sure you’re not creating any extra friction that will make the sore worse. Treat the area with antiseptic or antibacterial cream before and after to keep bacteria at bay as you sweat.
If your sore came as an effect of riding your TT bike and after a couple of days off you’re already getting cycling withdrawal, try riding a different bike – you might find that a different saddle or setup doesn’t exacerbate the symptoms. Again, take it easy and be extra careful in your application of antibacterial cream.
See your doctor
If the saddle sore doesn’t clear up in a week or so or you’re unable to sit due to the size of the swelling or extreme pain, you might need to see a doctor to get a prescription for some stronger medication. Topical antibiotic ointments such as fusidic cream will fight off the infection fast so you can get back on the bike in no time.
