Christie Tracy

Texas, USA

Ultra and Gravel

SRT and EXT Stealth

"She believed she could, so she did." ~R.S. Grey

"This advice is specific to detailing with setbacks or injuries - because EVERY athlete has them at one time or another (and I've certainly had my fair share, and then some!). 

My mantra during recovery was "Stronger than yesterday". After a significant injury or loss of fitness, it can be disheartening to compare yourself to where you were prior to that injury/loss of fitness. You CAN and WILL get back there, but beating yourself up because you're not there **right now** or focusing on everything that you've lost or cannot do that you used to be capable of is not productive, and won't get you back there any faster. Instead, focus on where you were YESTERDAY. Can you ride a half a mile further without pain? Can you hold 5w more for xx minutes? Is your HR a little bit more stable? Then you're doing it right! Set tiny progress goals, and focus on those. Acknowledge small fitness gains and improvements, even though they may not hold a candle to what you "used to be able to do". Keep a journal, and once a week write down at least 1 thing that you are capable of doing in your sport or training that you were not capable of a week ago. Focusing on the positive and the forward momentum will put you in a much better mind space than comparing yourself to where you may have been previously, and beating yourself up for not being able to perform at that level in the present moment. Performance in every sport is just as reliant on mental health and strength as it is on physical, so take care of your mental health as you build back your fitness, and you'll be surprised looking back a year from now how quickly things came together, even though they felt unbelievably slow to improve "in the moment". "

"I discovered Gravel Racing in late 2018, and set my first gravel bike up initially with the same saddle that I ran on both my TT bike and my road bike. My riding style & position is different on my gravel bike though, and it became clear very quickly that my road saddle would not work for gravel. I tried several saddles unsuccessfully before stumbling across the BiSaddle.

My first BiSaddle was the SRT. I'll be honest - it was not "love at first ride" 😂. The BiSaddle is SO adjustable, and I really had no idea where to start, so I initially tried to line the nose and seat widths up closely with my Road Saddles, and I did not use any of the provided wedges to alter how flat/rounded the surface was. I experimented with it for a bit, adjusting the nose and seat widths a bit each day, and ultimately using the wedges to flatten out the shape. I got it dialed after a few rides, and was SHOCKED at how comfortable it was when properly adjusted for my unique shape and riding style! I raced (and won!) my very first gravel race the next weekend, and realized after the race that I hadn't even thought about my saddle once over 100 miles / 5 hours of gravel, washboard, and TX chipseal. I'd found a winner, and haven't run any other saddle on my Gravel Bike since.

A few months later, in January 2019, I broke my hip during a gravel race, requiring emergency femoral neck surgery, and a LONG, painful recovery. When I was allowed to slowly begin returning to training ~6 months later, I found that my Road and TT saddles were no longer comfortable. When they'd put me back together, my hips hadn't healed 100% symmetrically, and that changed EVERYTHING about the way that I sat on a bike and generated power. I knew how adjustable the BiSaddle was, so I moved it from my Gravel to my Trainer bike during recovery, and was able to adjust the shape of it to accommodate MY new hip shape and riding position. The BiSaddle was an integral part of my rehab and recovery, and I am so grateful that it enabled me to get back on the bike after hip surgery without the added discomfort of saddle pain. Since I returned to training after hip surgery in 2019, my rear hasn't touched any other saddle across all of my bikes - Road, TT, Trainer, or Gravel . . I'm a BiSaddle athlete for life!

In my experience, the BiSaddle is the perfect saddle for EVERY discipline. I've won multiple 500 mile & 24 Hour National TT Championships on my SRT without a hint of sit bone pain or saddle sores. In contrast to long TT efforts,, I raced the punchy, intense ~30 mile UCI eSports World Championship Race for Team USA (and countless other Elite eSports Zwift Races) on my BiSaddle.

 I've won multiple USAC Masters National TT Championships on the EXT (which is UCI compliant!). Just last month, I raced (and won outright. . women AND men) a 24 hour Gravel Race on my SRT. Think about that - TWENTY FOUR HOURS straight of bone jarring TX Gravel and Washboard. . . and not a single hint of a saddle sore or discomfort. I honestly forget that it's even underneath me during these long endurance rides (both on pavement and on gravel), and that's what I want in a saddle! I have too many other things to think about (nutrition, hydration, power output, tire pressure, weather, etc) to be distracted by saddle pain!"

For more BiSaddle help, please consider joining our Facebook group "Team Bisaddle". Team BiSaddle is a family of cyclists who participate in various sports including Tri, TT, MTB, XC, Road and Gravel. Team BiSaddle represents a home for support, adventure and tips to become your best self. Otherwise, feel free to check out our saddles by clicking the "shop" button below.