At a party this weekend, a woman just getting into cycling asked me about a little chaffing problem she has when she rides.
Actually, she was the second rookie cyclist in three days I gave this advice: Don’t wear undies under your bike shorts.
I mentioned a recent blog entry that pointed out wearing undies as one of the most common mistakes made by novices.
She thought that advice was for men only. “You know,” she said. “Women’s anatomy is different than men’s.”
I do vaguely recall hearing something about that in a college anatomy class, but I told her I was quite confident the rule applied to everybody. Just to be sure, I said, I’d check with a bike shop.
So, today I talked to Alex Warren of Rainier Cycle Sports in Tacoma. Sure enough, he concurred.
“Whether you’re a man or woman,” Warren said, “your chamois should be touching skin.”

Good News

I followed Craig’s advice and ate close to 70% carbohydrates four to five days before our ride on Saturday. I felt at the top of my game for most of the ride except when we missed a water stop or should have stopped to pick up water – more about water later. I didn’t think eating carbohydrates that many days in advance would make that big of difference – Wrong; it made a huge difference. My energy level was high most of the afternoon. The Flying Wheels 100 is a tough century. I say it is tougher than the 2nd half of STP which I find challenging. Since I felt good for most of the ride, I will follow the same eating pattern before STP.

Bad News

About ¾ of the way through the ride, I was close to being out of water, and a couple of the other guys needed water. I personally go through one bottle every fifteen miles, and as we rode through a town, we were thinking water was right around the corner. Right around the corner came about fifteen miles later, and I knew I needed to stop in town at the nearest gas station. I felt a headache coming on and the other guys were complaining of cramps and sickness. Being a man (Read Idiot), I thought I could make it ten more miles instead of stopping at a food mart and buying a gallon of water. At the water and food stop, I consumed a peanut butter and bagel with two water bottles, and with my body and vigor revived, I felt great. I had energy for the rest of the ride. The question for myself is why do I need to be reminded to do the right thing? I have to remember to stop drink and eat before I need to do it.
Many website give the following symptoms for dehydration - thirst, fatigue, irritability, headache, weakness, dizziness, cramps, nausea, decreased performance. Dehydration of just 1%-2% of body weight (only 1.5-3 lbs for a 150 lb athlete or 2 to 4 lbs for me) can negatively affect performance. The way I check to make sure I am mentally with it and not fighting fatigue or dehydration is to play “Slug Bug.” Russ, Scott (Barbie), and I call out VW bugs and keep track of the score. When I have a tough time keeping my mind alert, I need to start eating and drinking fluids.
On my rides, I bring five dollars to buy water and food if I need it. I put the money in my pouch in the back of my saddle with my tools. I hope this suggestion helps, and I will listen to Kenny next time who said “Let’s top off on the water anytime we can.” Remember to drink before you are thirsty and eat before you are hungry.

Have fun riding and be safe – Rick B