Tuesday 16 August 2016

The Science of Saddle Sores?


It's not usually one of the things that you think about whilst watching the Olympic velodrome cycling on TV but one of the factors that might have improved performances is 'state-of-the-art' advice on avoiding saddle sores, especially of the women (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/aug/15/team-gb-cycling-saddle-sore-medals). Saddle sores were apparently something that it was difficult to get the cyclists to talk about but advice was sought from friction experts, reconstructive surgeons specialising in pressure sores and a specialist in vulval health. The main advice they came up with was to a) get a rule change allowing saddles to be angled down to a greater degree, b) convince the competitors to avoid shaving, waxing and use of depilatory creams and c) apply a soothing gel. Apparently, pubic hair is beneficial in removing sweat. Amazing what you have to do to improve your chances of winning a medal.

No comments:

A New Type of Money Laundering?

Thames Water is the UK's biggest privatised (thank you, Mrs Thatcher!) water company, with around 15 million customers. All such water...