What happens as the ride goes on?

Often times I am talking with clients about bike fit, fitness and how the comfort of the their bike changes as the ride gets longer. I am asked if the comfort deteriorates as the ride unfolds because they lack fitness. We could all benefit from added fitness or endurance. That comes with time and work. Extremely fit cyclists experience bike discomfort as a ride progresses just like cyclists with average levels of fitness. The issue is less about fitness and more about duration of time in the saddle with out getting out of the saddle and giving the perineal area some rest. When we sit on a seat or saddle that is narrower than our hips, we have to give the seated region some breaks or we have a subconscious physical rebellion. When this happens, most people experience or notice that their shoulders are all of a sudden pinching and their upper back is tight or not happy. They often times also describe having to crane their neck to see properly. What is causing this discomfort is the subconscious movement of the pelvis in a posterior direction. This causes the upper back to hump up and get tight while relieving pressure on the anterior portion of the perineum. If the rider is aware this is happening, they can rotate their pelvis forward or anterior and the upper back discomfort should settle down while they will generally notice some discomfort in the seated region. If this happens, often times the seated region will settle down and the rider continues with a comfortable back. When we rotate our pelvis in posterior direction, we will generally disengage our core. Thus reducing our power and comfort levels. Core engagement is critical to comfort and power. It is difficult to ride hard and give it your all if your core isn't engaged. It is also very difficult to be comfortable on your bike if your core isn't engaged. So, the better core engagement a cyclist can have, the more comfortable their bike will be if it has been fit properly and they will have more power output which should make climbing and and most aspects of pedaling a little easier. If you have questions or comments feel free to reach out or schedule a fit through the book online button.