WARNING - THIS TOP TIP IS RATED PG: If youre an adventure racer then your favourite past time should be talking about lubrication. Its inevitable during an expedition length race that team conversations will drift off into areas such as comfort foods, movies youd most like to watch, least favourite stages, crimes committed against adventure racers and Race Directors youd most like to punch. However, you should keep bringing the general chit chat back to lubrication. Keeping your bike and other equipment well lubricated is obvious but often overlooked (until the ominous noises coming from your chain starts annoying people). Keeping your insides well lubricated with nutritious food and water is also highly important. However, it is the lubrication of your body parts that we are concerned with today. An expedition race is hard enough without first degree chafe, blisters or hot spots - they are to be avoided at all costs. The regular application of a good lubricant to problem areas can save you a lot of misery down the line. Our favourite is Sudocrem which has miracle-like qualities. Forget the science, all you need to know is that it was developed to deal with those small individuals (toddlers) who think nothing of running around all day in a nappy containing their own body waste. It has remarkable healing properties, stays on when wet, lasts a good number of hours and helps keep areas crucially lubricated. The key is to use it liberally, frequently and to get your body moving like a greased otter. For a 24hr trekking stage we would recommend a large application to the feet at the start, 8hrs and 16hrs - more if you can manage it. We would put one large pot (125g or 250g) in your bike box and trekking box and then carry a small (30g - per person) tube on each trekking stage. Synchronise your stops and get into the habit of showing your body some love....if you are lucky enough to have a particularly close team then why not apply it to each other [there will be a few shudders at that thought]? If you have an area of your body that has the potential to chafe and blister, or a crease that supports the growth of sinister mutant bacteria, slap it on and enjoy the sensation.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:03:40 +0000
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