There is not really a cause. It’s natural when you do certain kind of sports. But normally it should be a process during a whole career, not just a couple of years.
What happens is; the heart (which is just a muscle) will get ‘little scratches’. These will fill, and so the heart grows. In my case this went very rapid. Especially in spring I use to feel this proces happening. But that last year I couldn’t bear it anymore.
I went to my housedoctor: he refused to send me to the hospital. He said: “it is slow, but you are a sporter. This leaking tricuspid or bicuspid valve is an known case (from military and school tests). And further I don’t hear anything.”
I said: "but it really hurts when I’m laying on my coach or in bed.
He said: “I hear nothing weird. I see no reason for further investigation”.
I was furious. In my whole live I went to this doctor twice.
And this time was not the first time he saw no reason for further medication (and that I’ve ended in hospital without his “help”).
And so I mad a phonecall straight to an cardiologist. He listened to my story, and advised me to come over (administratively this is not possible without the housedoctors advice).
And so I went for a simple ECG. The trainee started 3 times over again connecting those (12?) rubber things. Then she called for a second opinion. There was no doctor yet, and they were both amazed and speakless. I was getting afraid I could not leave that day.
The echoscopy was also remarkable: the heart was this big it would fit on the screen, and they were doubting to call for technical service. I think for asking one which is used for babies in stead of one for hearts.
A normal average heart should do 55-60 a minute. And so I think you can calculate (60:21) how much bigger than normal my heart was. As kid I had a horse-excedent (with this niece of Henk Vogels) and got unequal chest of it. Now my chest was unequal the opposit.
Then I had to be monitored with a gadget for 72 hours non-stop.
I’ve seen the graphs. Some parts were shocking. An earthquake would have made more sense. Only thing which was common with an normal heartbeat was that the lines did not go backward.
And so on the next meet, the advice was clear, I should be doing bicycling on a lower level. Well, I was 19 years old with only one dream become profesional bicyclist. My (little) world felt apart. My medical situation was: Since my heart grew way too fast, my nerves were “tight”. The command to beat, made in the SA-node, was made, but not always transported by the nerves. And so I had interruptions in an already slow beat. That hurts like you choke a big meal in 0.1 second.
I did not want to ride on a lower level at all, and so decided to quit. But first I had to train slowly down. Had no medicines. And now it is like above 40. Only if spring is heading I sometimes feel a changement, but no pain anymore.
As kid I always wanted to be able to ride a unicycle. And so during my last year I bought one just for fun. I was able to ride forward, and so happy and done. But after my stop, I start doing unicycling more and more. I was invited to do a simple job on TV (not a bad stage as debut!). And so discover that I could earn money with it. I ended in no time in better paid jobs. And by then the father of Sem Abrahams took me to competitions and conventions. I started to compete. I won medals on UNICON, NAUCC, and EUROCYCLE. Unicycling became my hobby, work and sport. And brought me all over the world.
And suddenly I noticed it forfill all my dreams I had on two wheel.
But with unicycling I had much more fun. Nice meets with all kind of people. From Tony Blair, Schroeder, Balkenende, to disabled, elderly, schoolers, jailers, any kind of people.
Unicycling gave me so much things like, patience, self-confidence. And facing death made me live my life different others of my age do.
When I see the bad events in bicycling, I realize it is much better to do unicycling. And I do hope unicycling will become a bit more commercial, but not like bicycling currently is. I’ve seen to much dirt from nearby. As soon most people smell money, situation become less nice.
On the other hand: if I have to explain to those bicycling mates that in unicycle competition you have to pay your own hotel and plane-tickets…
Sorry for the thread-jack with parts of my live-story, and wishfull thinking.
Anyway, today was a great stage again. I still ask myself is Lance Armstrong that strong, or is the rest that weak? But in the Tour there is no such thing as presents. But at least Lance does not make the Tour as boring as Indurain did for years.
I statarted watching the coverage about 4 or 5 years ago, and have been addicted ever since. I occasionally go and watch a night time criterium near me in Athens, GA, and really enjoy the speed these guys travel.