OK ladies, whether you are a seasoned cycling veteran or a newbie just starting out, we've all uttered those three little words during a ride:  "My crotch hurts!" (or insert whatever "down there" euphemism you fancy).  Sometimes it's 30 miles into your ride and other times it's 100 feet from wherever you hopped on your bike. Regardless, pain in our nether regions is obviously NOT a good thing and will make a perfectly good bike ride go bad pretty quickly.

What's a girl to do?  When you are experiencing pain in the saddle, there's generally a reason for it...and quite often it's a pretty simple solution (or combination thereof) that will help you chase the pain away and enjoy the ride.  We put together a handy little list of 8 reasons your "girly bits" hurt when you ride to help you troubleshoot the problem and make some changes so you can ride in comfort.

• You aren't wearing padded bike shorts.  OK, this seems like an obvious one, but we are always amazed how many women (and men, for that matter) don't wear padded bike shorts.  You may not think you need them, but it will only take one ride for you to feel the difference!  A "bike short" isn't merely a tight spandex-like short.  A true bike short is made specifically for cycling.  It's usually made out of stretchy, form-fitting, moisture-wicking fabric and fitted with an ergonomically-cut, high-density foam pad in the crotch.  Don't want to show off your ASSets?  Wear your bike shorts under a pair of baggy shorts or a riding skirt (just be sure to choose something with a little stretch in the fabric).
• Your bike shorts are either too big, or too small.  In a nutshell, make sure your britches fit!  If your shorts are too big, the short will move around and chafing can occur in some pretty delicate areas.  If they are too small, they can pinch or otherwise restrict your movement.  As a general rule, tighter is better, but just make sure you can move and breathe.  Snug is the word, here.
• Your saddle doesn't "agree" with you.  Saddles are an EXTREMELY personal thing, so thank goodness there are lots of choices out there in terms of shapes, sizes, and materials.  What works for your friends may not work for you.  Many bike shops have demo saddles so you can try before you buy.  Take advantage of this whenever possible...new bike saddles can be spendy little units, so it's good to be sure the saddle you're investing in works for you.  A women's-specific saddle may or may not be the answer for you...many women (including myself) don't use women's saddles.  Conversely, there are men who ride on women's saddles.  And a "squishy" saddle isn't necessarily better OR more comfortable!  Squishy, super plush seats make it hard to achieve proper seat height and can also create pressure points and chafing.
• You aren't using chamois cream.  Even with the softest chamois and the ultimate saddle, a LOT of heat and friction goes on "down south".  This can lead to chafing and other awesome maladies like saddle sores and infections.  Despite what the name implies, chamois cream isn't for your chamois...it's for your body.  Applying chamois cream to your lady parts will help prevent chafing and saddle sores, keeping you much more comfortable in the long run.  And much like a proper pair of bike shorts, if you haven't been using a chamois cream, you really should start.  It's a game changer.  Avoid creams containing parabens as this commonly-used cosmetics preservative has been known to negatively impact hormone function, leading to increased risk of breast cancer, toxicity, and skin irritation.  Also avoid petroleum/petrolatum ingredients...they are horribly sticky,  not so great for your skin, and will break down the foam in your chamois over time.
• You're wearing underwear.  Uh oh.  "Mean I'm not supposed to wear undies with my bike shorts?".  Ummm...no.  But that's OK if you have been; it's nothing to be ashamed of.  Almost all of us had to to have "The Talk" with another rider about this.  "The Talk" usually happens during a group ride when a fellow rider points it out to you when he/she sees your panty lines through your bike shorts.  You can thank me for sparing you that embarrassment, especially if it's a guy who's not your BF or hubby that ends up telling you.  The takeaway: bike shorts are meant to be ridden in commando.
• You need a good bike fit.  A professional bike fit can do a world of good in more areas than just your nether regions.  Many people who get a pro bike fit report relief from pain in other areas of their body and increased performance.  Most good bike shops will have someone on hand who does bike fitting (for a fee, of course).  This usually entails making an appointment, and then you'll bring your bike in along with your riding shoes and shorts.  The shop will put your bike in a stationary trainer, have you hop on and pedal, and observe your body position.  They will take some measurements and make recommendations about saddle height, saddle position, stem length, bar width, etc.
• You haven't had enough saddle time.  As horrible as this sounds, it takes some time in the saddle to "toughen" up the tissue down there.  This is especially true for your sit bones.  If you are a newbie or just returning to riding, be patient and ease into it.  Use the this list to help mitigate any pain issues; if you still have pain. give it a little time.  Most people report having far less pain on their bikes after a few weeks of regular riding.  Don't overdo it...gradually increase your mileage/saddle time and pretty soon the "newbie pains" will be a mere memory.
• You've had too much saddle time.  If 25 miles is good, the doing a 100 miles is better, right?  As cyclists, we're all a little addicted to suffering.  It's what makes us stronger and fitter.  But be realistic...if you regularly ride 20-25 miles, don't expect to pop out a century in 6 hours without feeling it.  It's obviously not impossible, but just take some proper precautions to help "baby your booty".  Stand up on your pedals every now and then to increase airflow and decrease pressure.  Pack a little chamois cream in a small plastic jar to reapply as needed on a longer ride.  Make sure you wear your most supportive bike shorts that have proven to be your most comfortable pair...a really long ride is not the time to try out a new pair of shorts.

Starting a Petal Power blog has been on my to-do list for the past couple of weeks, but I just haven't had the time to actually sit down and get it going.  However, the day's chain of events compelled me to get off my butt and get blogging!  So hot-blog-diggety, here we go!

This morning my friend Wendy, who runs the 700-member Los Angeles-based women's mountain biking club Girlz Gone Riding (GGR), tagged me in a post on the GGR Facebook page.  The subject of the post read, "Do YOU think this is fair for the PRO purse?".  Wendy's post went on to point out that the pro women's purses for the upcoming Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games were substantially less than the men's purses in the Enduro, cross-country, and dual slalom events.  In the case of the Enduro event, the winning man would receive $700 while the winning woman would only receive $150.  Wow.  That's not just a little disproportionate...that's a LOT!

Comments on this post from GGR members were flying in faster than I could keep up with reading them.  The vast majority of them were outraged that such a disparity could exist.  "Women train just as hard as men" read one of the comments.  "So lame" and "Boycott" read others.  While there was a lot of discussion about women's race fields generally being smaller than men's and therefore receive a smaller piece of the prize money pie, most everyone agreed that it sends the wrong message to have the scales tipped so far in the men's favor.  

As a former pro racer (albeit a pretty crappy one!), this subject really hit home for me.  While very few professional mountain bike racers (male or female) are getting wealthy from racing their bikes, it's especially difficult for women professional racers.  I know many who are "in the red" each season trying to train enough to be competitive, travel to events all over the globe, and somehow make ends meet without totally depleting their life's savings.  

Wendy urged her members to write to the folks at Mammoth, so I decided to write an e-mail to Bill Cockroft, Senior Vice President of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and offered to help.  

Hi Bill,
As you might be aware, there is currently a a big stink being raised about the Mammoth Mountain Games women's prize money purses on a prominent women's mountain bike club website that has over 700 members.

As a former racer myself (I did the NORBA series...now I am truly dating myself!), I fully understand the women's fields tend to be smaller so paying the same prize money as men isn't always feasible.  However, with all of the attention being given to this subject thru the efforts of groups like the Women's Cycling Association and the news earlier this year that the US Cycling US Cup Pro Series will be offering equal prize money, I think an opportunity was missed by the Mammoth Mountain Games to support women's MTB racing...and leverage extremely positive PR out of it!

Many thanks for offering equal prize money in the Pro GRT DH events!  It would have cost you an additional $2,075 to make the prize purses equal in the Enduro, DS, and XC categories.  I understand that race promotion is a business and you need to make money...and that the $2,000 needed to make the purses equal would eat into your bottom line.  However, with a little creativity, I think you still could have made this happen and it would not have cost you a dime had you called in some sponsors to help bridge the gap.  I'd like to think companies with product dedicated to women would have been more than happy to contribute.

I know this offer comes in at the 11th hour, but I would be willing to kick in the $565 to make the 2014 XC prize purse equal to men on behalf of my own company, Petal Power (www.petal-power.com...we are a brand new company making women's specific chamois cream).  Please let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Jill Hamilton
Petal Power

As I hit "send", I honestly figured I wouldn't hear anything back from him since the Mammoth Mountain Games are already technically underway with racing starting tomorrow.  But low and behold, about a hour later, I got the following response:

Jill,

I will take you up on your offer and in return advertise your company here at the event.  Please send me the notes as you would like them read…short paragraph. My address is below and the check can be made out to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.   I have also changed the prize purse for the entire event and am sending out this statement.  BTW it was your note that caused me to rethink.

The prize purse for the Kamikaze Bike Games was published months ago. The cash amounts, to be paid out, for Pro Men and Women was a business decision mostly based on the level of entries…money in and a percentage of the money out.  As it turns out the ratios were quite close given the registered riders to date, for example in the pro enduro the total prize list gave 79% to males and 28% to females while the registration was 86% male to 14% female.  Never the less the negative reaction from the female community has caused me to rethink the current prize list and make adjustments.  The prize list of the 2014 kamikaze Bike Games reflects equal distribution of cash for Pro  Male and Female riders.

Thanks,

Bill Cockroft
Senior Vice President
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area LLC

Wow, I really need to give HUGE kudos to Bill and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for stepping up and graciously supporting women's mountain bike racing.  Equally huge kudos to Wendy and all the other GGR members who also took the time to write e-mails.  I am still blown away at how quickly Mammoth Mountain took action...action that will be appreciated not only by the women they hand checks to on the podium this weekend but also by women in general who fight the gender gap in their personal and professional lives on a daily basis.

The moral of the long story is the squeaky wheel DOES get the grease!  There IS strength in numbers!  Josie Smith (Life On Two Wheels) said in her comments in the GGR post after hearing the prize money would be matched:  "The awesomeness of women taking action NOW to help future generations of women riders find more balance in the industry = INSPIRING and wonderful!  Who says change can't happen in the present?  IT JUST DID!!! Rock on!".

So here's to a brighter future for women's bike racing!  Together we can make a difference...and today was living proof of that.  I challenge each and every one of you to take a stand in your own bike racing communities and speak up for equal women's prize money!  People do listen...and change can happen.