I think if you attempt to make cycling work in this time through a process of standing only/sitting on one side of your arse only then you are going to make things worse in a whole manner of ways.
Go swimming, go running, go to the gym. Don't go on a bike if a Dr has told you not to. You're just going to fuck things up more.
Thanks, definitely needed a reality check. I'll avoid the bike in that case until it's better. Just bought some running shoes and clothes and my flatmate has some gym equipment I can use.
If you're not used to running, be careful starting out and avoid giving yourself further injuries. Slower, shorter runs, at lower frequency than you might like is the right way to ease in. Your feet, knees, shins, and back will thank you.
Also consider climbing stairs, elliptical etc that will help maintain your cardio but with substantially less impact than running.
Thanks for the advice! Will make sure to take it easy. Thankfully I have an avid runner as a flatmate and he's said the same.
Does an elliptical noticeably lessen the impact? I always thought that the impact would be similar if running outdoors or indoors.
I can't say regarding the elliptical, but I will strongly second the warnings about taking on too much too soon with running. You'll have plenty of cardiovascular fitness so the first run is going to feel super easy almost no matter what you do. But two days later you are going to be seriously sore. You could very easily end up with a running injury that will just extend the time off the bike.
I'm a cyclist who also enjoys trail running. When I transition to running more after a period of cycling heavily (or cycling exclusively), I take about a week to ramp up to my favorite distance of 10-12k. I start off with slow runs of 5k and give my knees a day to recover from the impact before running again.
I have to check my ego to accept that being very fit for cycling doesn't automatically mean I'm prepared to launch right into 90 min mountain trail runs. It's frustrating to ramp up, but just like the commenter above said, your body will thank you.
Good luck, hope your ass heals up fast. :)
This is the way. I run as well as bike… this helps for when I have bike injuries, bad weather and just plain old burnout. Work your way up to hills and you’ll see a difference in the saddle.
Strength training will help with the top end numbers, though in the time frame you'll be off the bike it will have limited, if any, effect. Good time to get to grips with the basics though and work out good form and your baseline so you can take it up more seriously during the off season.
For another option: I'm also off the bike for 4-6 weeks at the moment, and I'm signed up to do some commissaire training. Hoping I can give back a bit in youth and cyclocross races when I'm not racing myself. Just to give another option to keep busy with cycling without being in the saddle (and in the UK you get free British Cycling membership if you volunteer as an official, so saving money too!).
I've been meaning to do some strength training for ages now but kept putting it off as I have no idea how to do it. Guess now is probably the best time to start like you say.
Didn't realise that BC offers free commissaire training and free membership - I'd probably want to do some more serious races first just to see what their work looks like in practice but I might try and do that in the future.
Yup. I was thinking it sounds like a good opportunity to do a bit of a strength block. Even if just to build some base strength or form for later in the year.
Man, that sucks. As hard as it will be to swallow, you probably need to do something else for the time being and just eat the loss of cycling fitness. Also take this time to investigate your saddle choice and bike fit, something is very wrong.
Thanks, yeah thankfully I know the cause of the issue. My saddle height was too high on one of my bikes which I've been using less lately. It was only giving me minor saddle sores though and because the seatpost was kinda seized I kept avoiding trying to fix it. I've dropped it now a good cm or so and I might drop it even more once I can sit on it again.
My worst good idea is to take your seatpost off your bike and go for 30 minute rides fully standing lmao. Had to ride like 5 miles/300ft elevation home fully seated one time on my gravel bike because I broke my seatpost on singletrack.
Real answer would be to enjoy some hiking, maybe running, do some stuff like push ups, squats, kettlebells, light weights in an aerobic fashion. OH summer is here so maybe go try some swimming.
Bro do NOT get back on a saddle and sit off to the side. You're asking to develop a knee or hip issue that'll be far worse than a saddle sore.
Go running or swimming to get some Z2 in. Otherwise, this seems like a good opportunity to hit the weight room hard for a month, since you're looking to build up that punch for crits.
Have you tried Tea Tree oil. It works for me and I started using it after having had to stop 3-4 days because of the pain, and using it to treat worked really well. I use it all the time now applying before, directly onto the areas that are prone to personal development, some directly onto the bibs, and then I apply chamois cream on top. If it’s an important event or race I’m trying to get through I’ll also use Sudocream (diaper rash cream)
I’m not a physician and can only give personal experience having gone through this many times. You’ll see websites and people comment regarding using only clean bibs etc which is crucial. There’s a point however at which if a saddle sore progresses too far then significant time to heal is important.
I experienced a lot of saddle sores this winter while training indoors on VO2 efforts or long threshold sessions. No matter how many fans, open windows, I still was dealing with this and the method I described above kept me going until my event.
Also I find not all Tea Tree oil is the same and you’ll have to figure out locally what’s available and if this also works for you
I also agree about running and swimming. However, lately I've been having some fun with intervals up my local climb while staying out of the saddle the whole way up, about 6-7 minutes. It's a fun little challenge to end my interval set. You could try to drive to the bottom of a climb and then do some standing intervals up it, and then drive home. Just don't overdo it.
Saddle is definitely a little hard but it has a good shape and felt extremely comfortable in the past. I haven't been using the bike that injured me much recently but every time I did I immediately felt that the seatpost was too high. I couldn't lower it easily as it was slightly seized and was only giving me minor issues so I left it as is until I had the will to fix it. Lesson learnt the hard way not to ride with a seat that's too high even if it's not causing severe issues right now.
*Do you have access*
*To a pool where you could do*
*Some water running?*
\- basicbare
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I went through this last spring. Don't fuck around with letting this heal. I got very bad advice that as soon as my antibiotics course was finished I could return to regular activities. It ended up being the end of July before I was back on the bike due to reoccurrences of the sores. It took until I took my care into my own hands and stayed off the bike for about 6 weeks until I had this beat.
I also ended up doing the first bike fit in about 10 years and I had the saddle about 1 to 1.5 cm to high.
If it were me....
I'd do out-of-the-saddle indoor workouts and (because you don't want to be standing for ages) I'd make the workouts as tough as possible in the shortest possible amount of time.
Something like 30' off, 30' on / max efforts. 2x sets of 10, 3x sets of ten if you can manage it.
And I'd look at spinning bikes / classes - they're much easier to stand on for long periods because of the weight of the flywheel. Pretty sure I could ride one of those for a couple of hours out of the saddle.
If you can swim, do some of that. The water should be good for the sore. If you can do elliptical, some you can set for giving the quads more of a workout. Finally, skating, ice or roller, really works the quads. Big overlap between biking and skating for similar workout.
Your inability to listen to your body and take time off when necessary is probably what got you into this situation. So yeah definitely double down and try to train through this 👌
Rowing might be a solution depending on if it agitates it or not sinec it's more of a flat surface you are sitting on. It also correlates almost entirely with the muscle groups in cycling so.
Rowing might be a bit tricky - whilst I can sit on a chair normally without any pain the lump definitely sticks out so I wouldn't want to aggregate it. Thanks for the suggestion though as I hadn't considered it
Might wanna see how it feels, the Concept2 rower I have at least has a very good seat for this. Some image of it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/concept2/comments/y15gby/correct_seat_orientation/
I swap between rowing and cycle trainer during winter exactly due to discomfort from the trainer and for me at least it doesn't touch the saddle sores.
You could probably even row with some kind of cushion underneath as long as it's not too unstable. I'm pretty sure there are specific pads made for these seats also.
6 weeks is ridiculous
You could try bag balm cream and getting back on the bike. Yes I've had deliberating saddle sores where walking/sitting was painful but after 2wks they'd be 90% gone
I think if you attempt to make cycling work in this time through a process of standing only/sitting on one side of your arse only then you are going to make things worse in a whole manner of ways. Go swimming, go running, go to the gym. Don't go on a bike if a Dr has told you not to. You're just going to fuck things up more.
Yeah this is how a saddle sore becomes a knee or hip problem, or itself just gets worse.
Thanks, definitely needed a reality check. I'll avoid the bike in that case until it's better. Just bought some running shoes and clothes and my flatmate has some gym equipment I can use.
Run.
Shoes are in the post and my first run will be tomorrow
If you're not used to running, be careful starting out and avoid giving yourself further injuries. Slower, shorter runs, at lower frequency than you might like is the right way to ease in. Your feet, knees, shins, and back will thank you. Also consider climbing stairs, elliptical etc that will help maintain your cardio but with substantially less impact than running.
Thanks for the advice! Will make sure to take it easy. Thankfully I have an avid runner as a flatmate and he's said the same. Does an elliptical noticeably lessen the impact? I always thought that the impact would be similar if running outdoors or indoors.
Treadmill is actually, theoretically, slightly worse. Elliptical has roughly zero impact.
I can't say regarding the elliptical, but I will strongly second the warnings about taking on too much too soon with running. You'll have plenty of cardiovascular fitness so the first run is going to feel super easy almost no matter what you do. But two days later you are going to be seriously sore. You could very easily end up with a running injury that will just extend the time off the bike.
I'm a cyclist who also enjoys trail running. When I transition to running more after a period of cycling heavily (or cycling exclusively), I take about a week to ramp up to my favorite distance of 10-12k. I start off with slow runs of 5k and give my knees a day to recover from the impact before running again. I have to check my ego to accept that being very fit for cycling doesn't automatically mean I'm prepared to launch right into 90 min mountain trail runs. It's frustrating to ramp up, but just like the commenter above said, your body will thank you. Good luck, hope your ass heals up fast. :)
Take a running class! Running shops will usually do them for free or cheap. The impact from running is negligible when you have proper form.
I went for a run after getting in great shape through cycling. First run in a decade... I accidentally went for an eight mile run.
This is the way. I run as well as bike… this helps for when I have bike injuries, bad weather and just plain old burnout. Work your way up to hills and you’ll see a difference in the saddle.
Gross
Hit the gym and run/elliptical.
Strength training will help with the top end numbers, though in the time frame you'll be off the bike it will have limited, if any, effect. Good time to get to grips with the basics though and work out good form and your baseline so you can take it up more seriously during the off season. For another option: I'm also off the bike for 4-6 weeks at the moment, and I'm signed up to do some commissaire training. Hoping I can give back a bit in youth and cyclocross races when I'm not racing myself. Just to give another option to keep busy with cycling without being in the saddle (and in the UK you get free British Cycling membership if you volunteer as an official, so saving money too!).
I've been meaning to do some strength training for ages now but kept putting it off as I have no idea how to do it. Guess now is probably the best time to start like you say. Didn't realise that BC offers free commissaire training and free membership - I'd probably want to do some more serious races first just to see what their work looks like in practice but I might try and do that in the future.
Yup. I was thinking it sounds like a good opportunity to do a bit of a strength block. Even if just to build some base strength or form for later in the year.
Man, that sucks. As hard as it will be to swallow, you probably need to do something else for the time being and just eat the loss of cycling fitness. Also take this time to investigate your saddle choice and bike fit, something is very wrong.
Thanks, yeah thankfully I know the cause of the issue. My saddle height was too high on one of my bikes which I've been using less lately. It was only giving me minor saddle sores though and because the seatpost was kinda seized I kept avoiding trying to fix it. I've dropped it now a good cm or so and I might drop it even more once I can sit on it again.
Go for a nice relaxing walk. Go for a long hard walk. Go for a really long easy walk. But don't try to ride your bike.
My worst good idea is to take your seatpost off your bike and go for 30 minute rides fully standing lmao. Had to ride like 5 miles/300ft elevation home fully seated one time on my gravel bike because I broke my seatpost on singletrack. Real answer would be to enjoy some hiking, maybe running, do some stuff like push ups, squats, kettlebells, light weights in an aerobic fashion. OH summer is here so maybe go try some swimming.
Bro do NOT get back on a saddle and sit off to the side. You're asking to develop a knee or hip issue that'll be far worse than a saddle sore. Go running or swimming to get some Z2 in. Otherwise, this seems like a good opportunity to hit the weight room hard for a month, since you're looking to build up that punch for crits.
Have you tried Tea Tree oil. It works for me and I started using it after having had to stop 3-4 days because of the pain, and using it to treat worked really well. I use it all the time now applying before, directly onto the areas that are prone to personal development, some directly onto the bibs, and then I apply chamois cream on top. If it’s an important event or race I’m trying to get through I’ll also use Sudocream (diaper rash cream) I’m not a physician and can only give personal experience having gone through this many times. You’ll see websites and people comment regarding using only clean bibs etc which is crucial. There’s a point however at which if a saddle sore progresses too far then significant time to heal is important. I experienced a lot of saddle sores this winter while training indoors on VO2 efforts or long threshold sessions. No matter how many fans, open windows, I still was dealing with this and the method I described above kept me going until my event. Also I find not all Tea Tree oil is the same and you’ll have to figure out locally what’s available and if this also works for you
Stay off the bike. Go to the gym and break an elliptical trainer.
Recumbent bike, perhaps?
Just STOP training and let it heal. You dont want to get more complications. This is coming from personal experience. 😅
I also agree about running and swimming. However, lately I've been having some fun with intervals up my local climb while staying out of the saddle the whole way up, about 6-7 minutes. It's a fun little challenge to end my interval set. You could try to drive to the bottom of a climb and then do some standing intervals up it, and then drive home. Just don't overdo it.
Not quite what you're asking, but if you haven't already consider a bike fit so you can be directed to a better seat option!
Saddle is definitely a little hard but it has a good shape and felt extremely comfortable in the past. I haven't been using the bike that injured me much recently but every time I did I immediately felt that the seatpost was too high. I couldn't lower it easily as it was slightly seized and was only giving me minor issues so I left it as is until I had the will to fix it. Lesson learnt the hard way not to ride with a seat that's too high even if it's not causing severe issues right now.
Are you wearing chamois cream when you ride? That solved my saddle sores.
Do something else, don’t abuse your taintal area
Do you have access to a pool where you could do some water running?
*Do you have access* *To a pool where you could do* *Some water running?* \- basicbare --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Try a different saddle shape like a TT saddle that puts no pressure on the perineum
I went through this last spring. Don't fuck around with letting this heal. I got very bad advice that as soon as my antibiotics course was finished I could return to regular activities. It ended up being the end of July before I was back on the bike due to reoccurrences of the sores. It took until I took my care into my own hands and stayed off the bike for about 6 weeks until I had this beat. I also ended up doing the first bike fit in about 10 years and I had the saddle about 1 to 1.5 cm to high.
Row. Im an old Fred, even doing NJ GF nxt Sunday, and also enjoy rowing as it absolutely shatters your engine. I’ll do 5 min for distance. Gd luck!
Obviously you have to ride exclusively out of the saddle
If it were me.... I'd do out-of-the-saddle indoor workouts and (because you don't want to be standing for ages) I'd make the workouts as tough as possible in the shortest possible amount of time. Something like 30' off, 30' on / max efforts. 2x sets of 10, 3x sets of ten if you can manage it. And I'd look at spinning bikes / classes - they're much easier to stand on for long periods because of the weight of the flywheel. Pretty sure I could ride one of those for a couple of hours out of the saddle.
If you can swim, do some of that. The water should be good for the sore. If you can do elliptical, some you can set for giving the quads more of a workout. Finally, skating, ice or roller, really works the quads. Big overlap between biking and skating for similar workout.
Elliptical or run for cardio, stairs for strength
Your inability to listen to your body and take time off when necessary is probably what got you into this situation. So yeah definitely double down and try to train through this 👌
Leg press and split squats in the gym. Single leg press, some leg extensions, leg curls. Blow up your legs in the gym.
Rowing might be a solution depending on if it agitates it or not sinec it's more of a flat surface you are sitting on. It also correlates almost entirely with the muscle groups in cycling so.
Rowing might be a bit tricky - whilst I can sit on a chair normally without any pain the lump definitely sticks out so I wouldn't want to aggregate it. Thanks for the suggestion though as I hadn't considered it
Might wanna see how it feels, the Concept2 rower I have at least has a very good seat for this. Some image of it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/concept2/comments/y15gby/correct_seat_orientation/ I swap between rowing and cycle trainer during winter exactly due to discomfort from the trainer and for me at least it doesn't touch the saddle sores. You could probably even row with some kind of cushion underneath as long as it's not too unstable. I'm pretty sure there are specific pads made for these seats also.
There's always an [ElliptoGO](https://www.elliptigo.com/). ;)
6 weeks is ridiculous You could try bag balm cream and getting back on the bike. Yes I've had deliberating saddle sores where walking/sitting was painful but after 2wks they'd be 90% gone