A well calloused gooch is essential!

For those who aren't up to date on cycling terminology, a gooch is the area of a cyclists/triathletes body that we sit on when we ride our bike. Most cyclists ride in cycling shorts or cycling bibs because they have padding to sit on & because they won't get creases or folds in cycling shorts like regular shorts or sweat pants will. A fold or a crease may not sound like a big deal, but if you ride on a piece of your shorts that has doubled over that fold WILL hurt after after awhile & can cause very painful saddle sores.

A couple days ago I lowered my aero bars on my TT bike to get into a more aerodynamic position, & then I went on a 36 mile ride to see how the new position would feel. Turns out the new position rides great. Did you notice I said it rides great, not feels great? By the time I got off the bike today it felt like my gooch had been RUBBED RAW & LIT ON FIRE!!!! I've been training for triathlons since 2004. In the 8 years of riding a bike I've developed somewhat of an immunity to anything even close to saddle sores or gooch pain. But riding in a new position changed what area I sat on! Oh goodness, breaking the new gooch spot in is not going to be pleasant! I'm glad I decided to change my bike position now rather than waiting late season when I'll be doing frequent 6+ hour rides!