ASK 220

PAINFUL PEDALLER

Q I’ve recently increased my bike miles and have started chafing a fair bit. Could you offer advice on what causes it and how I can remedy it? Lewis Woods

A Chafing is an issue of friction. It occurs frequently in areas of the body where the skin has to deal with large amplitudes of frequent movement, and is common in triathletes due to the repetitive nature of pedalling, which causes friction at the interface of the saddle and groin/top of thigh/undercarriage. The forces from the cycling short or tri-suit moving across the skin under tension from the saddle cause the skin to become irritated. In triathletes the same issue can occur at the armpit while swimming. The cause is nearly always a combination of position, equipment, fit and skin vulnerability.›

For armpit chafing, the solutions are relatively straightforward. Make sure your skinsuit, tri-suit or wetsuit is allowing free movement without feeling too tight, which increases the frictional load. You can also manage the skin/suit interface