# Stomach flu in pro cyclists



## danielc (Oct 24, 2002)

Has anyone looked at the prevalence of this in pro cyclist vs. other pro sports where athletes do a lot of traveling? I also thought that a lot of the teams hire their own kitchen staff. Seems like it happens a lot in cycling but I may be wrong. 
I am just surprised after reading reading about Tyler Farrar being in yellow and then pulling out due to a stomach bug. 

thanks.


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## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

read Coyle's book, <i>lance armstrong's war</i>. He expounds a bit on illness and pros. The risks of living on the razors edge, as he calls it, are that your immune system is just waiting for attack.


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

blackhat said:


> read Coyle's book, <i>lance armstrong's war</i>. He expounds a bit on illness and pros. The risks of living on the razors edge, as he calls it, are that your immune system is just waiting for attack.


Well, having the water spray you in the face all day from a road that some tractor just dropped manure on is probably not very healthy either.


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## FTM (Feb 4, 2005)

den bakker said:


> Well, having the water spray you in the face all day from a road that some tractor just dropped manure on is probably not very healthy either.


or on your bottles


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## danielc (Oct 24, 2002)

blackhat said:


> read Coyle's book, <i>lance armstrong's war</i>. He expounds a bit on illness and pros. The risks of living on the razors edge, as he calls it, are that your immune system is just waiting for attack.


ya, i did read that book. But you would think that it occurs in other endurance sports..no?

I also read that the 'stomach flu' excuse was also a good way of dropping out of a race to avoid possible doping controls. That was probably from Walsh.


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## cycledog81 (Jan 8, 2008)

The other teams reported a stomach bug starting Sunday night from food at the race headquarters. Creed, Farrar, and a good selection of support staff also reported getting ill from food NOT road spray which made a bunch of Slipstream guys sick last year in Europe when the spray was contaminated with bovine waste and runoff from pastures onto the roads.


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## MaestroXC (Sep 15, 2005)

Happens all the time in the Classics. To wit, Tom Boonen soiling himself at P-R last year.


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## MG537 (Jul 25, 2006)

One of the beneficial effects of body fat is that it helps out the immune system.
Since many pro cyclists (and other athletes) have very little, their immune system is naturally weaker. That plus the fact that they're constantly fighting fatigue which further weakens them.
At least that's what I've read and also heard on the TV during the TdF coverage.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

FTM said:


> or on your bottles


tommy danielson had this problem for almost 2 years.

it prevented him from glory at the vuelta and any type of supporting role in the giro.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

danielc said:


> Has anyone looked at the prevalence of this in pro cyclist vs. other pro sports where athletes do a lot of traveling? I also thought that a lot of the teams hire their own kitchen staff. Seems like it happens a lot in cycling but I may be wrong.
> I am just surprised after reading reading about Tyler Farrar being in yellow and then pulling out due to a stomach bug.
> 
> thanks.


Or is it more of a problem with blood transfusions?????????????

Look at Ivan Basso in the Giro. It was called "stomach problems". more like blood transfusion doping gone bad.

Same with Astana's homeboy Alexander Vinokourov last year in the TdF. "stomach problems".. later confirmed to be positive test for blood transfusion.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

On top of what was said, cycling isn't the most lucrative or luxurious sport. Not often do they get 4-star hotels and 5 star meals.

Not to move this into the doping forum, but I wonder how many claim stomach flu for doping reasons (too high hematocrit, etc)...


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## danielc (Oct 24, 2002)

iliveonnitro said:


> On top of what was said, cycling isn't the most lucrative or luxurious sport. Not often do they get 4-star hotels and 5 star meals.
> 
> Not to move this into the doping forum, but I wonder how many claim stomach flu for doping reasons (too high hematocrit, etc)...


That was sort of my initial inclination but wanted to ask around to see if this is seen in other endurance sports. I'm sure tri-athletes and endurance runners must be immuno suppressed most of the time. 

As for body fat and its role on the immune system, the studies I found only looked at patients who were obese or morbidly obese, and they did show an increase in T cells. I would also think that most pro cyclists aren't that super lean unless they only ride in grand stage races. Again I'm just speculating.

thanks.


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## Qstick333 (Jul 21, 2004)

MaestroXC said:


> Tom Boonen soiling himself at P-R last year.


Ughhhh - I had no idea that he did that. I guess a bad day on a bike for a pro doesn't involve turning around and heading home.

No need for the "worthless without pics" comment here...yuck...


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## FTM (Feb 4, 2005)

because you didn't ask
and the clean-up


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## Spin42 (Sep 8, 2004)

*Stomach problems*

I live here in Central CA. The flew is going around over here and it's taking people down. Kids are out of school for a week or two, lots of teachers are out for a week or two, it's really going around over here. People are throwing up, have high fever, when they get over that then they get a sinus infection or sore throat, it's really bad. This isn't just a few people either, lots people have catching it. 
I'm not surprised a lot of the ToC riders are getting sick and dropping out. All the fan contact they have throughout the day, riding in cold temps, can't be good.

I realize low body fat contributes, but I thought I'd let everyone know what else going on around here.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I had stomach problems recently. I'm pretty sure it wasn't from a blood transfusion.


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## iharasensei (Jul 10, 2007)

Just heard via live coverage that HEALTH Net is down to 3. Oh, the irony...
I'm in the bay area, but haven't heard about this flu going around until I heard about it on coverage.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

Back when I was running marathons stomach distress was always kind of an issue I dealt with. Usually it's a pretty early start. You have to do a decent amount of preparation to get to a starting line. You have some butterflies which doesn't help..You're pretty well trained, kind of on the edge of being overtrained.. If you're running a race like the NYC marathon you're in close proximity to thousands of people in pretty chilly weather for a couple of hours with not much access to bathrooms, you might have to use a porta potty.. The races like the Memphis Marathon, were easier because you could be in a hotel close to the starting line until maybe 15 or 20 minutes till the actual start.

In Boston in '96 Uta Pippig had what appeared to be her period and diarrhea at the same time and won the race in like 2:24, some crazy time like that. My sister got a lovely picture of the mess running down her legs...

_Late in the race Uta was well behind race leader Tegla Loroupe, who had taken the lead at the 18-mile mark. Uta had bad cramps from both intestinal problems and menstruation. She had visible diarrhea and bleeding associated with these problems, and yet she didn't stop. Behind by over 100 yards with a mile to go, she pressed on. Then Loroupe was hit hard by leg cramps. She was reduced to a shuffle which permitted the diligent Pippig to take the lead and win in dramatic fashion. It hardly seemed like luck at the time, it appeared to be destiny._

These cyclists being so skinny and relying on a huge intake of food, imho, it doesn't surprise me the frequency of gastro intestinal problems they have.

When you train, you can always hit the bathroom at the last second, or delay the start of training if necessary. The tension is much lower than when you have an appointment at a starting line..


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## homebrew (Oct 28, 2004)

Gels (suger) and hard training both put strains on the emune system. So does having your weight below 6% body fat. There is a training/diet revolution going on that most pros find themselves on the wrong side of and they pay the price with poor health. Add bone loss and high levels of systemic inflamation to the mix. The close living/training situation and you are looking at how hard it is to stay healthy. If you want to avoid much of this eat real (whole) foods for training, recover well, take a fish oil suppliment, eat healthy fats and keep your body fat at a healthy level at least in the off season, sleep well, avoid gels and sport drinks unless you really need them (race situations mostly)


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## B-Fun (Nov 15, 2005)

lookrider said:


> Back when I was running marathons stomach distress was always kind of an issue I dealt with. Usually it's a pretty early start. You have to do a decent amount of preparation to get to a starting line. You have some butterflies which doesn't help..You're pretty well trained, kind of on the edge of being overtrained.. If you're running a race like the NYC marathon you're in close proximity to thousands of people in pretty chilly weather for a couple of hours with not much access to bathrooms, you might have to use a porta potty.. The races like the Memphis Marathon, were easier because you could be in a hotel close to the starting line until maybe 15 or 20 minutes till the actual start.
> 
> In Boston in '96 Uta Pippig had what appeared to be her period and diarrhea at the same time and won the race in like 2:24, some crazy time like that. My sister got a lovely picture of the mess running down her legs...
> 
> ...


This is quite possibly the worst thing I could have read while eating breakfast. I think I'm going to be scarred.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

*yeah thanks,*



homebrew said:


> Gels (suger) and hard training both put strains on the emune system. So does having your weight below 6% body fat. There is a training/diet revolution going on that most pros find themselves on the wrong side of and they pay the price with poor health. Add bone loss and high levels of systemic inflamation to the mix. The close living/training situation and you are looking at how hard it is to stay healthy. If you want to avoid much of this eat real (whole) foods for training, recover well, take a fish oil suppliment, eat healthy fats and keep your body fat at a healthy level at least in the off season, sleep well, avoid gels and sport drinks unless you really need them (race situations mostly)


I definitely consume too much sugar (coke) and I think it is hurting me.. I needed to be reminded of all of those factors you've mentioned. I've had more than my share of colds over the last 12 months, and my stomach hasn't been great either..


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