A new edition of the Tour de France has kicked off. More than 3,500 km distributed in 21 marathon stages will once again test the superhuman limits of the brave riders who put on their jerseys and start pedaling, defying human nature and the extreme summer temperatures in the Alps and Pyrenees. Dr. Joseba Barrón Arniches, Sports Physician and member of Top Doctors, believes that this is “an effort outside all the physiological norms known as ‘good'”.
Dr. Barrón Arniches: “To prepare for the Tour, a cyclist should start many months before with 5-day training sessions with distances of 200 km and 2 rest days”. This training frequency, explains the doctor, is increased to 7 or 10 days in a row, to take a break and continue with a new repetition.
Injuries, the main danger
Overload injuries and tendinitis are very frequent due to the repetitive efforts and sometimes beyond the preparation of each rider, says Dr. Barrón, who also highlights the risk of suffering cartilage injuries, patellar chondromalacia due to material fatigue, muscle contractures, etc.
Dehydration is another major danger for cyclists in the Tour, due to the high temperatures. “It’s just as bad not to drink as to overdo it,” confesses the doctor, citing the example of Miguel Induráin, who refused many bottles of liquid due to the extreme attention he received from his teammates.
Doping for various reasons
According to Dr. Barrón, “the need to endure such sporting nonsense is an incentive to dope”. He adds that others doped “to do their job”. Although, as he points out, “doping is set up as a system to be on an equal footing with others”. Many take it, according to Dr. Barrón, to be on an equal footing with other cyclists who dope.