Question - Warning - Male Private Part Discussion

X2 on the ISM seat

No podium place is worth endangering the family jewels.  Had the same experience on my stock seat, got an ISM Adamo Typhoon and presto...no more numb junk.

Numbness is bad. You NEED to change something in order to prevent long term problems...but is there something significantly different you're doing in training? IE - not riding in aero?

Thanks for the responses! Looks like I need a new seat.

I do not ride aero. I have a cyclocross which I ride like a road bike. I am not sure what I did differently during the race compared to training. May be, because of the lack of hills on the course, I didnt leave my seat. My training sessions typically have some hills and I get off to wait for stoplights and stop signs.

Never numbness.

One hell of a chafing wake-up call on my first (well-only) Oly.

I have made the following adjustments.

1. Bike Fit. With the exception of my 1st two races' entry fees, the best money I have ever spent on Triathlon.

2. Depending on sport, intended distance, and how consistent I have been training lately... I choose one of the following products in my medicine cabinet. In order of least to most chafe protection, as well as goop factor ---- BodyGlide, Chamois Butt'r, Sportique Century Cream, Bag Balm.

3. A really bad habit of ridiculous, overkill with the Gold Bond powder when not training.

Also, not related to OP, I have an extra-squirt bottle for cleaning out sand between toes... while I am talking about chafe....

shifting around in the saddle is good and standing up every now and again.  If I have a long stretch of flat road or I'm riding on the trainer I'll get numb, but if I'm on the hills or moving around I never have issues.

I get it all from time to time.  Gotta shift around a bit.

Numbness and loss of feeling is bad, but so is, the um, opposite...

Road vibration can do some strange things to 'ya!

I dealt with this issue on my last metric century and, just recently, with my real century ride. I would be ok during the ride and would feel some pressure, but didn't think anything of it until later that night. I was really numb and it took a few scary days to get "normal" feeling back. This is definitely something you don't want to mess around with. 

I'm switching saddles and getting a bike fit very soon. Until I get things adjusted, long rides are out of the question for me. 

Happened to me all the time my first couple years riding a road bike.  Would zone out for a bit then all of a sudden...damn, can't feel anything down there.

Gotta switch positions, stand up, etc.  But I also got an Adamo saddle with the split nose which helps a lot.  I can't say it eliminated the problem entirely, but makes it take way longer to kick in and goes away much quicker with only subtle adjustments to riding posture.