Hi Rosebud,

I was getting sores similar to that and discovered that my saddle was too narrow (though adequately hard), so I as putting pressure on the inner parts of my pelvis instead of fully on my sit bones. Not sure if that could be a contributing factor for you, but it's possible. There are bike shops that can measure your sit bones on a butt-o-meter, but I did mine at home on a yoga mat. Your saddle should be a couple of cm wider than your sitbone measurement to properly support you. And yes, a little harder is usually better. I have heard the Dolce is pretty squishy. Changing saddles right before a significant tour might be kinda rough too. The harder saddles will take some time for your sitbones to toughen up.

Good luck! There's nothing more miserable than saddle sores.

Emily