Ride's result painfully obvious

Ride's result painfully obvious
KENDAL KELLY World Staff Writer
06/15/2004
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page A9 of News

But FreeWheelers press on during the second day of their weeklong trek across the state.

CORDELL -- It's the bottom line of many conversations on FreeWheel 2004.

Bikers more accustomed to the comfort of an office chair or cushion of their sofas are becoming painfully aware of a part of their body they can see only in the mirror.

Not to put too fine a point on the issue, but their behinds hurt.

Without complaint, FreeWheelers can take the unrelenting heat of western Oklahoma in June, the nights spent sleeping in tents and the icy cold showers.

But when it comes to the bottom of the back, they give voice to their feelings.

"Your butt hurts like hell," said Leslie Rock, a FreeWheel participant from Alum Bank, Pa. "The sweating, the wind, the hills -- none of that bothers me."

But Rock's tail is tired.

Rock joined about a thousand people to participate in FreeWheel, a weeklong bike tour that began Sunday in Duncan.

Participants rode about 70 miles Monday from Apache to Cordell on the second leg of FreeWheel.

Riders will soldier on to Cheyenne on Tuesday, 66 miles more.

FreeWheel concludes Saturday in Anthony, Kan.

Rear-end soreness stems from sitting on a narrow wedge of seat all day. Skin and saddle are in constant friction, with most of the body's weight bearing down.

In an effort to prevent the ride from turning into a pain in the rear, Rock has a padded bike seat and wears bike shorts with gel padding.

That has provided some relief for Rock, but for some riders, padded shorts don't help. Tulsan Karin Anderson said the padding isn't doing the job for her.

However, participants who wear bike shorts are going to be much more comfortable than those who wear regular athletic shorts, said Chris Kane, a seasoned rider from Minneapolis, Minn.

"These people wearing regular shorts -- they will never feel their crotch again," she said.

At a fruit stop almost 57 miles into Monday's journey, Don Griffin of Dallas had an aching behind.

"The seats are feeling smaller and smaller," he said.

Riders openly share secrets with strangers about ointments for parts of their bodies that normally they might blush mentioning to a spouse.

Boudreaux's Butt Paste is a favorite salve for Griffin.

Other common remedies are baby powder, petroleum jelly and diaper-rash ointment.

"You'd be surprised at what some people put on their butts," said Libby Stalter, executive director of FreeWheel.

Rob Kotler also suffered from a tender tail Monday.

"It hurts all the time -- constantly," said Kotler, of Long Island, N.Y.

And what does he do about it?

"I whine and complain," he said.

"You keep going, because what are your options?" said Skipper Maine, a friend of Kotler's from Portland, Ore.

He added, "You can't not keep going because your butt hurts."

Kendal Kelly 581-8413
kendal.kelly@tulsaworld.com