The Alpine Challenge 2012: Meet your four therapists
The Alpine Challenge is a four stage Alpine event in September (110-120km per day) organised by HotChillee and designed using the same formula as The London-Paris, to offer a ‘Tour de France’ like experience. Based out of the beautiful lakeside town of Annecy in the Savoie, the scenery and riding is breathtaking every day.
“The experience of riding The Alpine Challenge brought back all the feelings of that crazy La Plagne mountain top stage in 1987 when I won the Tour de France. The most real it can get for an amateur. “Stephen Roche – (Tour de France & Triple Crown Winner)
TheTriTouch is the proud sports therapy partner for the event since its creation in 2010, sending a crew of therapists on site to support the riders.
This year Aurelie Almeida, Elena Ward, Loic Lefevre and Mike Peters will look after the 220 riders who will enjoy the benefits of rolling road closures, motorbike outriders, lead vehicles, mechanics and Mavic neutral service.
The therapies available on site every day will include: Sports massage, Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Ultrasound, TENS, Kinesiotaping & assisted stretching.
We’re sure the riders will look forward to our knowledge of cycling specific recovery and ‘healing hands’. We will be based from the Novotel Atria and the Ibis Annecy Centre Veille Ville. Riders in different hotels will easily have access to our therapy rooms too.
Aurelie Almeida – Sports Therapy – Sigma Sport in Hampton Wick (London) & Warwick
Aurelie is currently working in the Athlete Medical Team at London 2012 and will be working at the Polyclinic during the Paralympic games before flying to Annecy. She has five years experience working in Elite Sport, travelling all over the world to provide sports therapy to British Cycling & British Triathlon teams & athletes.
Loic Lefevre - Sports Massage – Sigma Sport in Hampton Wick (London)
Loic is French but graduated in clinical massage therapy in Connecticut, USA. His current patients include triathletes, cyclists, MMA fighters and members of the British bobsleigh team. Loic was on our crew for The London-Paris 2012 and is looking forward to seeing many tired legs.
Mike Peters – Sports Massage – Kenilworth
Mike provides team support for the elite GB athletics team. He is a former British Masters steeplechase champion and guided one of Britain’s top visually impaired Paralympians at both the Sydney Paralympics and in two subsequent world championships over distances from 5000m to the marathon. Mike was part of our crew at The Alpine Challenge 2011, running (!) alongside the riders.
Elena Ward – Osteopath – Oxford and Sigma Sport in Hampton Wick (London)
Elena is an experienced sports massage practitioner, Osteopath and sought-after tutor at the Oxford School of Sports Massage. Her specialty is the prevention and management of sports and activity related injuries. She is very active herself as she runs, kayaks, cycles and swims and she is also a PADI divemaster. Having been on The Alpine Challenge two years ago, she can’t wait to get back to Annecy.
Our best tips to recover and feel fresh for the next day’s climbs:
1- Stretch straight away after riding, we will show you how to do it, in just 5 minutes, and demonstrate how to use a foam roller.
2- If your knees hurt, ice them. In fact, ice anything that hurts.
3- Swimming in lake Annecy is a perfect way to soothe and lengthen your muscles after riding.
4- Have a treatment with us. We know exactly what to do so that you feel great and ride pain free. If you’ve never had a treatment before, you’ll wonder how you survived without it!
The Alpine Challenge takes place from 5-9 September 2012. Registration closes Friday 10th August at 17:00.
