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[PharmDatCU]

Hey Everyone! Just want to introduce myself. I'm new to cycling (about 4 months) and I love it. I am riding in Tour de Cure this Saturday, and suggestions? The shorts don't seem to help as much with the soreness...? Anything to recommend? :)

[Pugslyyy]

Welcome, and good luck on the tour de cure!

SO how much have you been riding? The first three rides or so will be sore then it gets better. For hot spot / friction issues you need some sort of lube, especially in this heat.

[ScottCh]

Hi Pharm,

Welcome to the forum. You need to get to a bicycle shop and pick up some of the following:

http://www.pacelineproducts.com/products/chamois.html

Also, make sure your bike is set up properly and fits you well. A long bike ride in the heat is not the time to discover that your seat or handlebars aren't set up properly.

Have fun,

Scott C.

[BetsyW]

Team Campbell I assume based on your user name? The above suggestions are great - lube, good fit, time in saddle. Take it rest stop to rest stop and drink lots of water and keep up your electrolytes - it's going to be brutally hot this weekend. Good luck and have fun!

Betsy
CU Pharm - Class of 2008:)

[RickF]

Yet another pharmacist amongst us? Welcome to the group.

The advice you have been given is correct. For better or worse, the legs and cardiopulmonary system get in shape faster than the butt does. There are many saddles available, and saddle comfort is a very individualized thing. What works well for one person might not work at all for the next. Regardless of the saddle, though, if the fit is wrong, it will not be comfortable. Your weight needs to be on the ischial tuberosities (aka "sit bones"). The correct positioning is further back on the saddle than most noobies realize. Until your saddle is moved to the correct position for you, no saddle will be comfortable.

Rick F
BS Pharm, University of Kentucky 1975
Pharm.D., University of Kentucky 1978
(Yes, they were separate degrees in the old days.)

[PharmDatCU]

Thanks everyone! Yep, Campbell Pharm student (2011)! Yeah, it is going to be so hot, everyone will have to make sure they stay hydrated. Have any of you all ridden in the tour before?

[RickF]

I have not ridden in the Tour de Cure, because the dates do not fit in my schedule; however, Team GSK (with whom I ride in the MS 150) does have good representation in that event. I have ridden in the MS 150 twice, and will do so again this year. Good luck on your ride. It should be a great ride.

[BetsyW]

I rode with Team Campbell my P1-P3 years (I guess technically P2-P4 years since it was in the summer), so this is my first year not riding. My first year it went from Buies Creek to Wilmington and it was in early May, so the heat was not so bad. The past 2 years it has gone from Cary to either Louisburg or Oxford in June - very hot both times. I was not a serious rider the first 2 years I did it. Year 1 I did 30 miles on day before it thunderstormed and we were pulled from the course. I did about 60 miles on day 2. Year 2 I was really not prepared for the heat and/or the hills that come with that route and I think I rode about 50 miles total between the 2 days. Last year I finished the whole thing - 75 miles x 2 days, but I had also put at lots of miles on my bike before the ride that season. It is doable, but don't push yourself if you're not prepared to do so. The SAG vehicles are there for a reason and just getting out there, raising the money, and trying is something to be proud of. Have a good time with it. Joining Team Campbell for the tour my P1 year is really what got me hooked on cycling and I kept going and kept riding and improving. This ride is fairly early in the season and there are plenty of supported rides left after tour. Dr. C, as I'm sure you know, is awesome and very supportive and has done the tour for many years - he is a great resource to ask about cycling. Have a great weekend! Go Camels!

[RoverDave]

Welcome to the family!

[TracyW]

Again, welcome.

[TomG]

The shorts don't seem to help as much with the soreness...? Anything to recommend? :)

Buy good shorts, buy a good saddle, get fitted by a shop that will help. The rest is just a matter of riding many many miles.