urinary tract infections mountain biking

aligardner

Does anyone else suffer from this? I mountain bike 3 times a week and have returned from a mountain biking holiday to suffer from uti. Seems a common problem. Any ideas on saddles for 30km type black routes, and shorts etc?
Thanks

kathg

I am really prone to this sort of thing too :-( . I have experimented with different saddles and shorts to no avail but have found the solution is to use lots of anti-chafing cream. The anti bacterial stuff is the best e.g. sport slick, or assos any brand of chamois pad cream that you can apply direct or to your shorts (be careful of menthol in any creams/gels though... can sting a bit). Also, make sure your seat is the right height.. sounds obvious but if it is a bit high then the side to side motion of your hips can cause problems.
After your ride do not under any circumstances leave your shorts on to have a coffee/food or drive home.. get em off asap and put some cotton undies on or have a shower/ wash straight after riding.

Hope this may help.. I really understand how miserable this problem can make you!

Kathg

miss notax

I think it's kind of a girlie cycling thing

If anyone finds the magic cure please be sure to tell me

supersonic

Don't wear underwear under the shorts - you have to ride without. Also some shorts come with anti bacterial liners.

stalkedtoast

I must be lucky, never had a UTI after biking.

Hydration is a key factor, having concentrated urine and not emptying your bladder often, can cause irritation which can lead to infection.

victoriac

I drink tons of water before a long ride, the downside is that I get the mick taken out of me for having to find a nice 'lady bush' to pee behind halfway through a ride but I've had a UTI once after biking and I'd rather not again. The hydration thing works for me but everyone's different so I guess it's a bit of trial and error.

mobilekat

Sounds really obvious (And I presume you do) but also make sure you have clean shorts for every ride.- this is tricker on a holiday, as you end up packing lots of shorts!- and make sure they are really dry after washing.

Also watch out for sugary drinks, as these increase the chance of a UTI- there was a real debate about sweetened Cranberry juice a while ago as it was causing more UTIs than it helped- the unsweetened make your mouth pucker stuff is the better option.

And as people have said drink plenty- and you are better off drink over a long period of time, than not drinking all day then guzzling gallons.

A urinary doctor I used to work with had a wonderful line.
'When you pee it should look like a fine white wine, like a Pinot Grigio, if it goes darker than a chardonnay you haven't been drinking enough, and if it goes dark like beer you are really going to end up in trouble'

I have tried to stick to this!!

Levi_501

Sudocrem

DonnaLovato

Seems like a common thing for us. i have studied somewhat a crash course on this and it helped a lot. i try to wear loose clothing if you know what i mean. i have some other simple tips that are simple and don't need too much effort. for example, i try to avoid long rides consecutively every week. sometimes i take a breather and raise my hip while riding.
the reason these infections come up is a fluctuation in temperature. if you raise your temperature, it becomes a favorable environment for proliferation of some bacteria. it is a thin balance between good and bad bacteria. normal temperature favors good bacteria. higher temperatures favor bad bacteria.
If there is another solution out there, i would gladly like to have a listen! :roll:

mobilekat

Drink lots-try and face some un-sweetened cranberry juice.

Basically if you don't need to stop during a decent rude for a 'comfort break' you are not drinking enough.
Plus clean shorts for every ride (presuming you are not sticking undies under them!)

And then as soon as you finish a ride drink 2-3 pints. The theory being to 'flush' yourself.
In the words of a urologist I used to know, if when you wee it's darker than a fine white wine you are dehydrated....

flywheel

The biggest thing is just taking your riding shorts off as soon as you can after a ride. Don't eat or stretch or anything in your chamois. Do all that after stripping down!