# 24 Hours of Chafed Nipples



## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

6 weeks out from 24 Hours of Moab, I committed to racing on a Men's Expert team. I only knew one person on the team, and only because we went skiing together once last winter. They had done the race several times before, and specified that it was NOT going to be a beer swilling trip. Fine by me. I can swill plenty of beer at home.

Two days after sending in my check, I went to Moab with the intention of pre-riding the course. I wrecked myself pretty badly on Porcupine Rim. My hip had a knot the size of an orange, and I was pretty sure I had broken my arm for about 3 hours.... but I was at the farthest point from anywhere on the trail, and had no choice but to pedal out of there. A 4 hour loop turned into a 6+ hour loop in 94 degree weather. I never got a chance to pre-ride the course, and that made me more than a little apprehensive.

2 weeks later, the swelling had gone down, and I started riding at night to get into the groove of going fast in the dark. Riding alone in the dark in an area where I have seen mountain lions, bears and coyotes was an experience. By the 4th night ride I was having more fun than just being nervous.

I was finally starting to feel ready at two weeks out, when a log in Telluride sent me OTB. My hip still hurt, and now my right calf swelled to about twice the size of my left. That weekend I did a roadie century, and was able to finish without too much pain. I figured I could still race. 

The next weekend I raced the Road Apple Rally in Farmington. I didn't feel good at all. I held onto the pro's for about 30 minutes, then had nothing. I was spent. I was 1/4th the way into a race, and I was mentally and physically done.

The week before 24hours of Moab was tense. Work was crazy. I still was mentally psyched out by my slowly healing injuries and recent poor performance.

I show up at the venue Saturday morning. I had only slept about 4 hours the night before from the stress. This was my first 24 hour event, and I had no idea what to expect.

And they're off.

Our first rider had actually trained specifically for the LeMans start. He looped the bush, grabbed his bike, and was out with the first 20 people. I was starting to get antsy. He finished his lap in 1:07 putting us in 7th place overall! That, of course, only lasted one lap - but dammit! We were in the top 10 for a while!

Second rider goes out and turns in a respectable 1:22. Third rider goes out and has a mechanical. It takes him 20 minutes to find someone to lend him a tool to get his crankarm back on. OK - the pressure is off now.

I go out for my first lap. I have about 6 weeks of stress to burn out of my system. Our mechanical put us back into the land of the Just For Fun riders, so I spent the majority of my lap passing people. 

I probably pushed too hard, but it's only 12 miles, right?

No - it's 15 miles. Whoops.

Finish my lap. Go back to camp and eat.

My second lap (going by our mythical expectations set by the first 2 laps) should have been around 9:30. About 10:20 I finally got out on the course. Cranked up the lights, and let it rip.

By the second lap you could see people starting to fade. Walking up a lot of sections. Walking down a lot of sections. I actually really had fun racing in the dark. You don't worry about the technical sections - you just hope you have enough suspension and a fast enough reaction time.

Second lap done in 1:30.

Third lap was stalled by a lost chain and a dead light. Luckily, that meant that I actually got almost 3 solid hors of sleep. But neglected to eat. Whoops.

Finally got on course at 4:15. It was cold. I had a twinge in my left knee and tried to stretch it out. It started really hurting about 3 miles in. I was hungry. I was tired. I hurt. It was cold. I had forgotten to use chamois cream, sportslegs or ibuprofen before the lap.
The course kept going on and on. I was walking up anything with an incline... up and up and up... and when it turned down I would freeze. At least I have light... well - not so much. Apparently my lights are only good for 3 hours - which would have been fine if I was fast.

That lap took forever. I finally pulled in 1:52 later. Slowest lap for our team and I didn't even have a mechanical failure.

And I was done. My knee was throbbing. I couldn't walk very well. I was in total energy depletion.

Our #1 rider goes out and comes back in 1:13. Holy crap was that guy fast. I ask him if he's got another one in him.

Nope. Without another major catastrophe, I'll still have time to get in one last lap. I really start hoping someone tacos a wheel. 

I eat. I sit. I eat more. I drink some Mountain Dew. Next rider comes in with a 1:25. Dammit. He doesn't have another lap in him either. 

I eat more.

I fix my front brake that had been rubbing the whole last lap. Lube up the chain, put on the chamois cream, and pop 4 Ibuprofens. 

I've never been much of one for team sports. When I go out and race, my poor performance only affects me. Now I have 3 other guys depending on me to put in my fourth lap like everyone else.

11:15 and our 3rd rider comes in. His best lap for the race. I have to go.

And I'm off. Knee is hurting, but not so bad - Ibuprofen is numbing the pain. It's still cold out, but not unbearably. I'm starting to finally get a feel for the course, and am able to push it where I need to. I actually manage to get out of the saddle on a few climbs instead of giving in to defeat and the granny gear.

I actually start passing people. Sure - I'm still getting passed occasionally, but those are the guys that always look like they just got out of the shower - even after 6 hours of riding. The wind is kicking up, my back is hurting, my leg is hurting, but I just keep thinking "Last Lap. This is IT. Your stupid ass paid $140 to come do this, and you might as well kill yourself since it's the end of the season".

And I push.

I start launching myself off all the obstacles I went around the first 3 laps. Might as well have some fun. Some guy behind me just starts laughing trying to follow my lines.

And I push.

Why won't anyone let me draft off them? Damn wind is kicking up and washing out the good lines through the sand.

And I push.

And it hurts.

The last couple miles I force myself back into the big ring. Go Go Go. Don't let that damn singlespeeder back around you. Just finish and finish good.

And I finished.

And it was good.

And it was over.

I haven't felt the post-race euphoria like that very often this season. My whole team was down cheering as I came across the line. I knew I had done my absolute 100% best at the race. I suffered, and I suffered GOOD dammit!

And after the drive home, I was taking a shower and started wondering - would chamois cream work on your nipples too? Something to think about for next year.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

Nice read...sounds like a good experience.

How was the sand? We rode part of the course the week before and it was better packed than normal. But without some new moisture, it might have gotten worse before the weekend.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Great writeup, it sounds like it was worth it afterall


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## G-Live (Jan 14, 2004)

forkboy said:


> And after the drive home, I was taking a shower and started wondering - would chamois cream work on your nipples too? Something to think about for next year.


Both chamois cream and bag balm have worked for me. :thumbsup: My right nip especially hates the coldish weather. :eekster:

G


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

lidarman said:


> Nice read...sounds like a good experience.
> 
> How was the sand? We rode part of the course the week before and it was better packed than normal. But without some new moisture, it might have gotten worse before the weekend.


The daylight laps weren't bad - you could find the trough that everyone else had used. Line-picking got a little more difficult at night.

There were definitely a couple spots that you had a 50/50 shot of powering through, but for the most part it was totally manageable.

I was told that it was the worst sand that my teammates could remember, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was anticipating. I was thinking there would be stretches like the sandtrap at the beginning of Poison Spider.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

awesome write-up!......ya pretty much summed up 24 hour racing......nervous energy, self doubt, copious amounts of pain.....but for some reason they all end on a high note 

great job!


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## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

great report! :thumbsup:


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## NJMX835 (Oct 17, 2006)

Nice write up!

There's no better feeling than knowing you pushed yourself as far as you could and there's nothing you could have done to achieve a better result.


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## JSD303 (Jun 15, 2006)

Congrats on the fantastic effort! Very inspiring!


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## Ross W. (Jul 3, 2006)

Right on man!

Wish I could have been there this year. Next year for sure.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

forkboy said:


> The daylight laps weren't bad - you could find the trough that everyone else had used. Line-picking got a little more difficult at night.
> 
> .


I recall doing my second night lap....doing fine, fast after Prostitute butte, then didn't see the upcoming sand stretch and "POW" I was on my back. thank goodness it was sand.

Oh and a BTW aside, Lee Bridgers has his big issue with the impact of 24 hr racing and shows pix showing the damage. I was showing my group the staging and camping area as we rode the weekend before the race. I should have taken a pic, but you would never know there was a 24 hr race the year before. You can spin impact before and after either way. That area repairs itself really well af the race.


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## jl (Feb 23, 2004)

lidarman said:


> Oh and a BTW aside, Lee Bridgers has his big issue with the impact of 24 hr racing and shows pix showing the damage.


I'm sure last year's rain did more "damage" then 10 years of granny gear...


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## cbrossman (Mar 23, 2004)

Nice Fork, glad it all worked out up there.


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## Mike T. (Dec 30, 2003)

Anti-seize is the best stuff for nipples. Mine are in great shape after 5 years of using the stuff.


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## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

Mike T. said:


> Anti-seize is the best stuff for nipples. Mine are in great shape after 5 years of using the stuff.


:lol:


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

great writeup Mark! Glad you had so much fun! :thumbsup:


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## rfields4013 (Jul 10, 2004)

Great report! So what was your final lap time? The suspense is killin' me!


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

rfields4013 said:


> Great report! So what was your final lap time? The suspense is killin' me!


1:30:03 - The next place team did a 1:30:08, so if the lap had been just a little longer I could have caught him


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

brg said:


> great writeup Mark! Glad you had so much fun! :thumbsup:


I was keeping a lookout for you. Next year?


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

Mike T. said:


> Anti-seize is the best stuff for nipples. Mine are in great shape after 5 years of using the stuff.


Wheelsmith or DT Swiss?


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## Stradissimo (Jan 28, 2004)

I didn't see you. There were lots of people there I didn't see. One of these days I'll track you down.  

Congratulations.

I'm contributing images to your thread, so people can visualize it.

The first picture was taken right after daybreak.

The second at about 10AM.

The third needs no explanation.

On a related note: I was shocked and chagrined by the super fast lap times some of the single-rigid people were throwing down. Unreal!


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

Stradissimo said:


> I didn't see you. There were lots of people there I didn't see. One of these days I'll track you down.


That statement kinda scares me...

Does that For Sale sign say "Fork Only"? Hilarious.

Yeah - Fully Rigid 29" Singlespeed seemed to be the bike du jour.

Killer Penguins








Focus








Premature Ejection








Sunset








Didn't take too many pictures - too busy riding / recovering. I do look forward to the Action Shots - I was full-on vertical through the rollercoaster.


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## Stradissimo (Jan 28, 2004)

forkboy said:


> Does that For Sale sign say "Fork Only"? Hilarious.


Here's a close up. Yeee-haaaa!


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

lidarman said:


> Oh and a BTW aside, Lee Bridgers has his big issue with the impact of 24 hr racing and shows pix showing the damage.


Reading some of his diatribe on his website, it appears that Lee Bridgers has big issues with a lot of things.


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## nOOby (Jul 20, 2007)

might try this next year if I can get a team together


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## nOOby (Jul 20, 2007)

might try this next year if I can get a team together


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## Barley (Jan 13, 2004)

Great write up and congratulations!

Have you ever tried nipple guards? you can get them at most running shops.


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## brg (Sep 7, 2004)

forkboy said:


> I was keeping a lookout for you. Next year?


nope - i was bean feSSt this year riding in the snow. (brrr...)

i *might* do moab next year...we'll see...


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## icegeek (Feb 16, 2004)

Barley said:


> ...Have you ever tried nipple guards? you can get them at most running shops....


Kewl! Can I get those in a C-cup?


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

icegeek said:


> Kewl! Can I get those in a C-cup?


That's Hot.

<img src=https://www.allfancydress.com/images/products/large/10825.jpg>


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## mirusa (Apr 29, 2006)

Nice summary, especially the emotions of the last lap. My mantra was "what are you saving it for?"


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## glenzx (Dec 19, 2003)

Ha! Damn fine report, Mark - great read. And yes - Assos Chamois lube not only works well on, well, where it's supposed to - but is especially exciting on ones nipples - and in fact, does a great job of protecting. Everything, in fact. Tingly!

We will have to do an MTBR.com old-skool 24 hour team race event thing someday... I might be good for 1.5 laps at this point though, and perhaps would be more useful in the "kitchen" or as a mechanic!


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

glenzx said:


> Ha! Damn fine report, Mark - great read. And yes - Assos Chamois lube not only works well on, well, where it's supposed to - but is especially exciting on ones nipples - and in fact, does a great job of protecting. Everything, in fact. Tingly!
> 
> We will have to do an MTBR.com old-skool 24 hour team race event thing someday... I might be good for 1.5 laps at this point though, and perhaps would be more useful in the "kitchen" or as a mechanic!


Thanks Glen - If I had any questions about tingly, excited nipples - I should have know that you would be the guy to talk to!

I was actually thinking that it would be *almost* as much fun to run support for a team as it would be to race on the team. I could get totally jazzed up about playing mechanic / chef / waker-upper / jacket carrier / general Domestique.

I'm up for it! We just have to find one that's a little cheaper. That entry fee hit kinda hard. I think It'd be more fun for about half that price.


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## Lee Bridgers (Mar 22, 2009)

*know what you are talking about*



lidarman said:


> I recall doing my second night lap....doing fine, fast after Prostitute butte, then didn't see the upcoming sand stretch and "POW" I was on my back. thank goodness it was sand.
> 
> Oh and a BTW aside, Lee Bridgers has his big issue with the impact of 24 hr racing and shows pix showing the damage. I was showing my group the staging and camping area as we rode the weekend before the race. I should have taken a pic, but you would never know there was a 24 hr race the year before. You can spin impact before and after either way. That area repairs itself really well af the race.


Behind the Rocks used to be my favorite ride and I was riding it as early as 1990. Back then, before the race, it was a completely different place. If you don't understand the ecosystem, don't ride it, and really don't race it.

Please study native plants and animals and find pictures of the staging area BEFORE THERE WAS A 24 HOUR RACE! There is not enough room here to educate people on the environment of a place they only see when on a vacation or on single bike ride, but here is the very core of the issue from one of the hundred or so emails in our files about the race:

"Overall, the best part of finding your rant, is that you too have an issue with Mr. Laird Knight of Davis, WV and principal owner of Granny Gear. He is the founder of the 24 hours of Canaan in WV back in the early 90's. The environmental damage at Canaan was so intense there that they moved the venue around 1999 (=/- a year) to Snowshoe Resort. Apparantly, the environment was originally scarred from ATV racing there that they thought bicycle racing would be different. As they learned, and so have you in MOAB, they were wrong. So bad is the damage there that they do not even have a WV Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) race there anymore.

"Snowshoe Resort kicked Laird out in 2004, and they are racing at Big Bear Lake. With a smaller crowd (around 200 teams) and racing primarily on the WVMBA point series course, damage is mininal, but that is only when compared to Snowshoe / Canaan. I am sure that if a study were conducted, you would find similiar damage at Big Bear as Moab.

"Really, as mentioned above, it is great to hear other people disliking Mr, Knight. Most of the groups I have ridden with in Huntington, Charleston, Clarksburg, Beckley, & Bluefield, WV have been boycotting his races for many years. Though there reasons are not the same as yours, they do agree that the #1 issue is Granny Gear!"

It is not about this place alone. It is also about the image of mountain biking that is held by the Sierra Club and others. Behind the Rocks, like many of the areas around Moab "sacrificed" for money, is now a place I simply cannot go without tearing up. Just because you have no perspective on the damage, doesn't mean it didn't and doesn't happen. Denial is a very interesting way to use a brain. I know locals here who tell me of their childhood and trips to Behind the Rocks when it was pristine. They understand. I think you have to love this place enough to put it above your passion for self-destruction, as evident by the search for anger and release in your words about the race and how you approach mountain biking. I am not putting you down. I am just saying that there are ways to ride in harmony with nature, and 3 thousand people coming into an area supporting 7 thousand vehicles and getting on bikes and riding repeatedly in a circle in a wilderness area for 24 hours is not the way to show respect for our mom. Someone pays. It is usually those who inhabit the area, and I don't hear anyone talking about all the coyotes and bobcats and lizards they saw while doing the race. Do you?

Lee


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## FloridaFish (Mar 29, 2004)

Lee Bridgers said:


> Behind the Rocks used to be my favorite ride and I was riding it as early as 1990. Back then, before the race, it was a completely different place. If you don't understand the ecosystem, don't ride it, and really don't race it.
> 
> Please study native plants and animals and find pictures of the staging area BEFORE THERE WAS A 24 HOUR RACE! There is not enough room here to educate people on the environment of a place they only see when on a vacation or on single bike ride, but here is the very core of the issue from one of the hundred or so emails in our files about the race:
> 
> ...


Do you realize that you are resurrecting threads that are years and years old?? if you have a point to any of these rants, maybe start your own thread and explain it yourself.

btw, be specific when you fill in the "what bike do you ride" part of the profile, it doesn't convince people that you're a mountain biker when you can't even name your bike.......i smell an agenda...... and it smells a lot like sierra club.


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## Lee Bridgers (Mar 22, 2009)

FloridaFish said:


> Do you realize that you are resurrecting threads that are years and years old?? if you have a point to any of these rants, maybe start your own thread and explain it yourself.
> 
> btw, be specific when you fill in the "what bike do you ride" part of the profile, it doesn't convince people that you're a mountain biker when you can't even name your bike.......i smell an agenda...... and it smells a lot like sierra club.


At least I named myself. Who are you? I _have_ worked for the Sierra Club and own a bike shop and mountain bike tour business in Moab. We boycott the race every year. We don't serve anyone while it is going on and rag on our friends and clients who still ride the darn thing. Bikes and caring for the environment go hand in hand here, though. We are designed around an environmental impact study. If you want promotion of our bike next to me caring about the environment, here goes: The bike is the Dreamride F-69, but that is not what was being talked about here--it was the race, and it is the perfect bike for that particular race because it was basically designed Behind the Rocks, for rock ledges and sand, but tell me you are buying one for the race and I'll do my best not to sell it to you. See the bikes at http://www.dreambike.com, the company website.


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## FloridaFish (Mar 29, 2004)

Lee Bridgers said:


> At least I named myself. Who are you? I _have_ worked for the Sierra Club and own a bike shop and mountain bike tour business in Moab. We boycott the race every year. We don't serve anyone while it is going on and rag on our friends and clients who still ride the darn thing. Bikes and caring for the environment go hand in hand here, though. We are designed around an environmental impact study. If you want promotion of our bike next to me caring about the environment, here goes: The bike is the Dreamride F-69, but that is not what was being talked about here--it was the race, and it is the perfect bike for that particular race because it was basically designed Behind the Rocks, for rock ledges and sand, but tell me you are buying one for the race and I'll do my best not to sell it to you. See the bikes at http://www.dreambike.com, the company website.


See, that ain't so bad. I now believe that you may in fact be a mountain biker. I choose to hide my identity to protect the innocent, if my enemies were to ever find out my true identity my loved ones would never be safe. It is my blessing and it is my curse....... for I am....


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## Ziggy (Dec 30, 2003)

Jusst use small band-aids to cover your nips...


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## Green Giant (Dec 19, 2003)

*this new website..."google"*



FloridaFish said:


> Do you realize that you are resurrecting threads that are years and years old??


My guess is that someone just learned of this newfangled "google" website and plugged ones own name into it. Leading that someone to find out that treating people like crap on the phone and acting a tad bit elite can lead to others not exactly throwing roses out towards them on the internet.

This then leads to endless entertainment for other folks to enjoy.


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## Enduramil (Mar 1, 2007)

Duct tape works very well. Stays on when it gets wet. Though one might need to invest in a chest razor.


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## HotBlack (Feb 9, 2008)

Lee Bridgers said:


> Behind...you? Lee


Well, that's crappy.

From now on I shall stay home, hang my head, wring my hands and weep and moan.

Got some bad news, sunshine. Within 22 years, your trails will be covered by cheap tract homes for middle class americans. The animals and wildlife will die of loss of habitat, and the land they have enjoyed for millions of years will be bulldozed under to plant engineered grasses and poisoned with the chemicals of thousands of labratories.

Positively, you are going to lose your favorite land. Sorry toots.


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## Lee Bridgers (Mar 22, 2009)

Green Giant said:


> My guess is that someone just learned of this newfangled "google" website and plugged ones own name into it. Leading that someone to find out that treating people like crap on the phone and acting a tad bit elite can lead to others not exactly throwing roses out towards them on the internet.
> 
> This then leads to endless entertainment for other folks to enjoy.


Zap! You got me. I agree, but I just got some roses thrown my way--and it makes me happy to know that there are some people out there who understand what I am saying, not just what I have been known to do to people who call me out of the blue and say stupid stuff. Sorry, if I treated you like crap over the phone, but have sympathy. I do speak to people on the phone A LOT, and I don't have much time to entertain. If I sound a bit elite, it is only because I am too old to take the crap I dole out, I guess. Be nice. I am trying.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

For the nipples...bandaids work alright but I prefer using sports/medical tape. It can hurt to peel it off, but it sure beats the chafeage.


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