Life could hardly be better, and cycling is a big reason why. Drawbacks? A few, but sitting on a bike seat for 800 hours a year isn't always a bed of roses: chafing, bruising, even random moments of numbness-hey, sit happens.

What you probably don't suspect, though, is that saddle trauma can be much worse. Horribly worse. In the the adjoining article you'll read the dire warnings of Dr. Goldstein, who contends that sitting on a bike seat could make a man impotent. I'm here to tell you he's right.

What I've just described is my cycling lifestyle since 1990. Last January, test revealed that the blood flow to my penis had become so restricted that I was incapable of an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.

The first indication of a problem occurred in '92, three years after my wife and I divorced. During this period the bike became my mate. I was 46 years old and logging the highest mileages and best performances of my 20-year career. Women? Forget'em!

But then I found one who liked cycling as much as I did. I also discovered I was as soft as overcooked rigatoni. This was distressing, but I figured it was the result of (1) no practice, and (2) the physical stresses associated with a 21,000-mile year and body fat under 5%. Happily, I soon rebounded, though in retrospect some erections weren't quite as good as I'd always enjoyed.

In the following years I encontered the same flaccid beginning in another relationship. Now I was getting worried. I couldn't count on myself anymore. I started anticipating failure and that's what I got. Thanks to cycling, I was fitter than at any time in my life and at age 50 was setting PRs. Yet my sexual performance was no better than that of an overweight, hypertensive diabetic with arteriosclerosis. I was practically impotent. My interest in sex evaporated. I stayed in the saddle, though, riding longer and faster than ever, even doing the '96 Team Race Across America. I knew I had a problem, but I denied my bike was the cause.

Then, early this year, I became friends with a special woman. On the one hand I was excited by the prospect of a great relationship, on the other I was fearful of what wouldn't happen if we ever went to bed. I had to find out what was wrong, and why.

A local urologist put me through several diagnostic tests. The results could not have been more depressing: restricted penile blood flow resulting from arterial obstruction. This blockage was occurring in my perineum, exactly where a cyclist's weight is borne by the saddle. My circulatory system was in great shape, so why did it fail in my crotch? I didn't feel like riding that afternoon.

When I learned of Dr. Goldstein's experience with cyclists, I flew to Boston for additional tests. He confirmed the bad news. By now I was searching for a remedy. A chemically induced erection proved that if I could get hard, I could stay hard-there was a filling problem but not a retention problem. My spirits lifted a bit. I asked how I could make my flattened, occluded blood vessels around and open again. My heart sank when Dr. Goldstein said it may not be possible without surgery. He said my speed of filling and degree of hardness "probably will not (naturally) return." But the "probability" gave me hope. It's my theory that staying off the saddle, combined with my already healthy lifestyle and herbal therapy, will allow enough self-repair.

In face, there's already been some improvement. As I write this-six weeks since switching to a recumbent-my erections are better and my libido is also on the rise. I feel good about my chances of seeing this unhappy period fade behind me.

That's my story. I know it's not what you want to read, but because I've been promoting cycling for 25 years I feel it's my duty to warn you. I hope it won't stop you from riding. Just be careful out there.