Staff Profile - The Doctors
There are many unsung heroes of Le Loop, without whom we simply couldn’t make this event happen. Absolutely crucial on this list are our volunteer Tour Doctors.
They all work on Le Loop as volunteers. Why? Yes, they all love to cycle of course (they ride along with you each day, one nearer the front, one towards the back) but they’re also all committed to the aims of the William Wates Memorial Trust and very very loyal to us. We owe them a lot and couldn’t run this event safely without them.
Before the tour, they’re checking your medical forms as they come in, flagging any potential concerns and chatting to riders in advance if necessary, so that they have a clear picture of the medical needs of our riders and plan accordingly. They also advise us on issues such as our covid policy and practices and put together our extensive medical kits.
Once on tour, the 2 doctors work with the rest of the Le Loop team to help keep everyone safe and pain free. They’re available at all times to step-up in an emergency, or to offer advice at feed stops. Once back at the hotel, while you’re all relaxing and maybe enjoying a drink, they’re giving up any recovery time to deal with medical issues that don’t fall under the remit of our physios and massage therapists. They work HARD.
We thought it would be fun to check in with a few of our medics to find out more … meet Dr Sarmid Al-Kamil, Dr Charlie Cox., Dr Fiona Struthers and Dr Julian Bromley. Dr Sarmid works as a GP while Dr Charlie’s day job is an intensive care registrar (having previously been an expedition medic). Dr Fi is a GP and medical emergency practicioner and Dr Julian a GP with a special interest in sports medicine.
NOTE: At the end of this blog we have the doctors’ advice for keeping safe and well on tour – an important read!
Q: So – how many tours have you ridden with us so far?
Dr Sarmid: I have ridden 2 tours with Le Loop so far: 2022, and 2023, this year will be my 3rd.
It is crazy, but I love it.
Dr Charlie: Like Sarmid, this will be my 3rd tour too, but they haven’t all been consecutive.
Dr Fi: I’ve ridden 5 tours with Le Loop and all have different challenges, highs and lows!!!
Q: You keep coming back – what is it that you enjoy about Le Loop, or perhaps your highlights?
Dr Sarmid: I love being part of an incredible team, that helps individuals fulfil their dreams of finishing a stage, or multiple stages or the entire route of the Tour De France. This is truly awesome.
And I really love witnessing the grit, the determination, the exhaustion and sometimes pain during the tougher sections, but also the joy, the accomplishment and the sense of achievement and overcoming difficulties, when the big climb is conquered, or the stage is finished.
Then thinking about the charity, and the Wates Family, who created from adversity a long-lasting legacy, creating an opportunity for many others to overcome possibly the biggest challenge of their lives.
Beside raising money for an excellent cause; it empowers the participants and the Le Loop team to believe that anything is possible.
Dr Charlie: There are so many things – the cycling of course, but also the teamwork amongst the staff, as well as the camaraderie with fellow riders on the road.
My medical highlight was probably patching up a rider last year with lots of stitches and then riding alongside him all afternoon to get him safely home.
And my non-medical highlight was probably coming down the Galibier in the dark with our lead cyclist Emily having stayed out with the last riders and being presented with the most delicious reward pizza by Sarah at the finish!
Dr Fi: My biggest highlight has been seeing the cyclists who have struggled with every km (especially on the hills) finally reach Paris and the massive smiles on their faces. The mix of pride and elation as their families congratulate them combined with sharing that moment with their fellow Tour riders whom they have shared so many memories with is truly heart warming. It always makes me shed a tear!!!
Dr Julian: I love helping people achieve their cycle goals whilst raising shed loads of money for the trust. The trust funds many inner city charities helping disadvantaged teenagers and a highlight for me is meeting some of these teenagers when they come out on tour: hearing their stories and cycling with them.
Q: In terms of medical help, what are the most common things you deal with?
Dr Sarmid: There are a few things that are pretty standard: pain of course, whether that’s through muscular aches, injuries or even saddle sores. We recommend all riders bring pain killers with them, but we also keep a good stock in our tour shop that riders can purchase if they need them.
Saddle sores can certainly bother some people (see below for advice on best-practices to minimise this problem! Ed) but extremes of heat or cold can cause all sorts of problems. Riding long days under a burning sun is as gruelling as descending from a col in a hail storm. Both extremes are possible: heat exhaustion as well as hypothermia.
Upset tummies can sometimes be an issue, whether that’s from poor water-bottle hygiene, or perhaps an over-consumption of carb drinks and gels. We’re really careful about hygiene on tour and have strict rules in place around feed stations – you’d be well advised to follow them!
Of course, people also arrive on tour with pre-existing ailments that can flare up during the ride, which is why those medical forms are so important – so that we have a clearer picture of what we’re dealing with.
Dr Charlie: People love coming to me with their groin photos!
Dr Julian: Always saddle sores. Remember, sudocrem is your friend!
Q: What about more serious situations?
Dr Sarmid: Obviously this is what everyone dreads. This is when we switch from a cyclist to fully focussed medic, tending to the patient on the roadside (or wherever we are) while pulling the rest of the team into action and involving emergency services if needed. Thankfully these situations are extremely rare.
Dr Charlie: Like I said, I’ve stitched riders up on the side of the road before now. Ideally that’s as serious as it ever gets, but we’re ready for every eventuality.
Dr Julian: We will always work with local emergency services in serious medical emergencies to get the necessary treatment as fast as possible to the patient.
Q: Any final thoughts or advice?
Dr Sarmid: Le Loop isn’t a race – it’s a beautiful ride to be savoured, and riding safely and within your limits is always the sensible thing to do. We want everyone to have a fantastic time, to be safe and well and head home even fitter and healthier than when they arrived!
Dr Charlie: My top tip – Look after the people around you and they will look after you too.
Oh yeah – and the hardest part is the guilt of having such a wonderful time while leaving the family at home!
Dr Fi: My main piece of advice is NEVER try anything new when you get on Tour. Everything you wear, position of your saddle and cleats, medications you take, creams you use and hydration you drink should all be tried and tested. Changing something when you come is a recipe for disaster and a sure way to get an injury or become unwell.
Indispensable advice from our Medics:
Our medics have put together the following advice for our riders. It’s WELL worth a read and has some important tips to help make sure that the only interactions you have on tour with our medics are fun ones!
Hydration
- Drink plenty of water, during and after the ride. Try to get 1 litre bottles instead of the standard size bottles, make sure they fit your bike frame. Ensure water bottles are cleaned every day and sterilised once a week using Milton tablets.
- Drink before you feel thirst. Take on extra fluids during hot days.
- Don’t experiment with new salt or electrolytes tablets during the tour.
💡Bring Milton tablets.
Fuelling and Nutrition
- Eat plenty before, during and after. Carbs, protein and everything you can digest.
- Average rider will burn 7000-9000 calories a day!!
- One of the limiting factors for endurance performance is the body ability to extract energy from food during multi day events.
- Eat more than you normally do!
- Don’t experiment during the tour with new supplements, proteins, recovery drinks etc.
Sleep
- Go to bed early, relax, and try to get as much night sleep as possible, this is essential for recovery.
- Rest days are for rest!
- Some riders mastered the art of having a snooze on bus transfers.
💡Bring ear plugs, eyes masks just in case you need them.
Alcohol
- Be extra sensible.
- Don’t drink while in charge of your bike!! This is a Le Loop rule – NOT mere advice.
- Be careful when you arrive at your destination; ensure you rehydrate with water or recovery product, try to eat with in the hour of completing the ride.
- Enjoy your achievement with fellow riders but don’t over-do it. Take extra care during hot weather or tough stages.
Personal hygiene
- One of the most common problems is saddle soreness and skin irritation.
- Ensure good fitting bib shorts, shower and change as soon as practical, wash them daily, rotate them if possible, use sudocrem if area is inflamed.
- Kit could rub in other places too. Ensure kit is well fitting and tried and tested.
💡Bring sudocrem.
Medications
- Make sure you bring your prescribed medications. Don’t exchange medications even if it is just skin creams, talk to one of the medics, we can help.
💡bring medications you are comfortable in using at home without medical advice eg paracetamol, loperamide, antihistamines, indigestion tabs etc
Heat and Sun exposure
- Be aware temperature could rise up to 40 during hot weather in July. Big exposed climbs on the hottest part of the day can be brutal.
- Hydration, sensible alcohol consumption in the previous days, light clothes, staying in the shade, deliberately slowing down your pace, cooling by wetting your cap or jersey, and these big water bottles are all required.
💡sun cream, light cycling kit, big water bottles.
Adverse weather
- Be prepared for anything, bring full winter kit. It can be really cold up the top of the mountains, even in July.
💡bring full winter kit.
Niggles, Aches and Pains
- During the tour, Le Loop provide medical and physio therapy support.
- If you start to experience niggles; Achilles, knees, lower back, neck problems talk to us early before the problem escalates.
💡access the medical and Physio team soon.
Head Injuries
- If you have had a fall off your bike and are showing signs of concussion, then our policy is that you do not ride for 24 hours, then you will be reassessed (a fall with significant helmet damage is to us a proxy for such a head injury).
Etiquette at Feed stations
- We will provide plenty of hand wash gels at feed stations. Please remember to take off your cycling gloves and wash your hands before approaching the feed station.
- Please remind your fellow cyclists to do so, we could all forget we we are tired or excited.
- Use provided utensil to pick food rather than your hands or own cutlery.
Face masks
- We will adhere to the National advice at the time of the event. Please bring a face mask and feel free to wear it if you wish.
💡bring a few face masks.