Sore spots.

[jules]

i have a problem with cysts too - it only bothers me when i spend lots of time on the bike. and it just started last year. no idea why, considering i've been riding for a long time. anyway, it's very painful. one time i was able to drain it, and the discharge was brownish yellow and thick. then it bled. sorry to be so graphic. anyway i have seen the doctor three times. the first time, the doctor told me that he would drain it for me if it got really big, and he gave me tetracyclene. the second time i went, the doctor prescribed me more tetracyclene. the third time i went, i asked for it to be drained or removed, and the new doctor told me that it was too small to be removed, and also pointless, because another cyst might just pop up next to it. he gave me more tetracyclene. i am completely frustrated. certainly there must be a way out of this.

[ehirsch83]

I have found that diaper rash cream works wonders!
Because, if you think about it- what you are having is almost exactly diaper rash- you are in wet shorts for a period of time, and that is what happens. Same thing that happens to a baby in a wet diaper. The creme dries it all up.
I use it after my rides, and then after showers, sometimes I apply it again during the day if needed.

[emily_in_nc]

I have found that diaper rash cream works wonders!
Because, if you think about it- what you are having is almost exactly diaper rash- you are in wet shorts for a period of time, and that is what happens. Same thing that happens to a baby in a wet diaper. The creme dries it all up.
I use it after my rides, and then after showers, sometimes I apply it again during the day if needed.

What I have is not diaper rash -- it's a large purple lump, about 1" in length, bulbous and sore (sorry for the graphic description!) It's right on the crease between my leg and crotch. I am only riding 2x a week so am amazed that I've managed to develop such a sore. It won't come to a head so I can't get anything out of it. My doctor called it a sebaceous cyst and recommended I have my dermatologist excise it during the off season (which sucks, because I still ride on the trainer during the winter). I've had rawness and chafing before, and diaper rash cream does help somewhat with that, but this is something entirely different. It even hurts when I sit on a hard chair just right. Ugh!

Emily

[ehirsch83]

What I have is not diaper rash -- it's a large purple lump, about 1" in length, bulbous and sore (sorry for the graphic description!) It's right on the crease between my leg and crotch. I am only riding 2x a week so am amazed that I've managed to develop such a sore. It won't come to a head so I can't get anything out of it. My doctor called it a sebaceous cyst and recommended I have my dermatologist excise it during the off season (which sucks, because I still ride on the trainer during the winter). I've had rawness and chafing before, and diaper rash cream does help somewhat with that, but this is something entirely different. It even hurts when I sit on a hard chair just right. Ugh!

Emily

Emily,
I have had that same thing, not fun!
I was advising to use the diaper rash creme on the small bumps that the other posters had mentioned- the ones that they lanced and got yellowish fluid out of, not on your cyst.

[dreadpirate]

I am pleased to report that my sebaceous cyst/undescended testicle is gone.

I put a gel cover on my saddle and that was enough to change whatever was going on to cause the thing. My saddle looks like a grandma saddle but I do not care - my crotch is happy. The jellybeans are gone. Yay!

I've been testing new saddles - so far no dice. But I'll keep trying.

[bacarver]

I've scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist soon to have these nagging, tender bumps checked out. I am riding more this year and this has resulted in more friction on the saddle.
I want to ask her to just numb the area, drain them, and I'll stay off the bike for a few days to let them heal.
Riding is so uncomfortable lately because of these spots.
How in the world do the Tour riders cope with saddle sores? I cannot imagine!
We'll see if her plan is the same as mine . . .
Barb

[Zen]

How in the world do the Tour riders cope with saddle sores? I cannot imagine!

Well, they have team doctors, correct saddle adjustment and really good shorts. I don't know for sure but my guess is that saddle sores are not that frequent for them.Their skin has probably toughend up in that area, too.

Compare their saddles to yours. Theirs have long narrow noses and the way I'm reading these posts is that you're looking to go wider/softer. Even when you go softer that cushioning still gets compressed.
Do you lube before you ride?
Do your shorts fit well?
Is the saddle adjusted correctly?

[OakLeaf]

How in the world do the Tour riders cope with saddle sores? I cannot imagine!
Barb

Zen has a point, but they still get them. Somebody on one of the top teams had to drop out this year with saddle sores. Don't remember who it was, but I want to say it was a T-Mobile guy. How do they *cope* with them? How painful must it be before they *withdraw* because of them?