Saddle Cover

I think saddle covers are a recipie for disaster! Why oh why do you try and cram so much stuff under your touche / between your legs? That and running shorts which have bulk as well? You're ASKING for saddle sores if you do that.

You're far better off in the lycra which you say "your body isn't up to yet". Who cares? It's meant for function, not style.

Far better to do the whole thing in a swimsuit than using one of those. Tri shorts are the perfect solution, but I've ridden plenty of time w/o padding and really don't notice any discomfort in a sprint distance race.

OTHO: You could possibly try it, but I'll bet it's not comfortable after 10 minutes no matter what you're wearing.

Another vote for tri shorts here. My experience has been the more padding a bigger seat equals more pain. DeSoto does sell a pad though so I would look at that if you really want one. Believe me, everyone is so busy either racing or thinking about how they look, they aren't really going to notice you all that much.