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Q&A with Dr. Helge Riepenhof

Ranked the number one cycling team in the world by Eurosport, HTC-Columbia is the world’s most winning team in Pro Cycling today. Thirty-nine men and women from 17 nations make up this extraordinary team which has won 312 races since 2008.  Last year, the team achieved 132 victories with 22 different athletes. Keeping them on the road requires more than just good bikes and physical fitness. Enter Dr. Helge Riepenhof, Head Team Doctor of the HTC-Columbia cycling team....

After studying in Osnabruck and Munich, including a special project with Harvard Medical School, Dr. Helge Riepenhof joined HTC-Columbia in 2007. As Head Team Doctor, Dr. Riepenhof co-ordinates a team of leading orthopaedic surgeons from BG Hospital in Hamburg, Germany, which specializes in trauma surgery, orthopaedic sports and rehabilitative medicine and is one of the leading hospitals for sports traumatology. Dr. Riepenhof and his team specialize in sport-related injuries and recovery methods to bring the latest techniques to the HTC-Columbia athletes.  For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Compex is a proud partner of team HTC-Columbia.

We asked Dr Riepenhof about the benefits the partnership brings to the team.

Team HTC-Columbia uses Compex as an active recovery tool and we are very happy with the results - it’s great for us. But there is more than just the recovery part, which is why Compex is very useful for the team.

Dr Ripenhof treating Mark Cavendish

When did the team start using Compex?

The team started using Compex at the start of the 2010 season. That means the men as well as the women in the team use it. The riders really believe in Compex and they continue to use it. For me that is the best proof - that they feel the Compex electronic muscle stimulation is working and that they experience the benefits.

You said ‘continue to use it’ – do they have a choice?

They would have started to use Compex because of our medical advice, but they would have stopped after a while. Professional cyclists know their body extremely well. They even notice if we change the seat height on their time trial bike by half a millimetre! Now we see that they continue using Compex as an active recovery tool. So they certainly feel if they benefit from Compex. The active recovery just makes them more fit the day after. It also gives them a good feeling during and after the treatment. The following day they’ve had a better recovery and they are really more fit.

Which device do they use in particular?

Some riders already knew about Compex, others were new to electronic muscle stimulation. Now every member of team HTC-Columbia uses his or her own Compex Mi SPORT. Compex allows the riders to recover fast and in a very easy way immediately after exercise, training, or races. The team has also said that apart from being very good for recovery, it is also very comfortable to use. A professional cycling team, like ours, runs a very tough schedule and the use of electronic muscle stimulation is a perfect way to combine travelling with active work on the muscles, especially recovery.

So does the team only use these after races or training?

This may be the main goal for using Compex, but we also see that it is very easy to use for us while for example, travelling on aeroplanes. The devices are used by the team whenever we take long haul flights. We have already done our trip to the ‘Tour Down Under’ in Australia and soon we fly to California, where we will be staying in a preparation camp for the tour of California. And, of course, there’s the Tour of California itself. And it’s not just the team. I like to use Compex while travelling, and I also use it for my own recovery after exercise. It feels really good. And even more than feeling good, there is a huge benefit the next day. I really like the active recovery. We asked about the normal post-race routine... The first day we used the devices was on the bus after the race. We asked the riders to use their Mi Sport. We had to give them some guidance and remind them to use the device. But on the second day they all had their Compex ready to use the moment they were aboard because they had personally experienced the benefits. Every now and then there is one rider who forgets his Compex in the hotel, but that is to be expected; some of them even forget their shoes! But I can say that in general for the team HTC-Columbia riders to start their Compex active recovery, it is now a five second routine.

In tough stage races like the Ruta Del Sol, they bring it with them and when they get on the bus, they just put on the electrodes and start the programme. It’s as easy as that. It’s such a great tool.

So you’re pleased with the results?

All I can say is that Compex is great for us.
For the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Compex is a proud partner of team HTC-Columbia.

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