Oakland, CA – Phil Zajicek of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis knows that come the 6th stage of the Tour de Georgia, he’ll be fighting an uphill battle to the top of Brasstown Bald. But the fact that he will even be there at all is a sign that he’s finally winning another uphill battle he’s been fighting to some degree his entire career, and even more intensely since last summer.
After experiencing often severe problems with his gastrointestinal (GI) tract last summer and into the first part of this season, Zajicek was finally diagnosed – ironically, on his 29th birthday on March 20th – with what team physician Michael Roshon calls a moderate case of Crohn’s Disease, a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Calling it moderate needs to be put into context, however. Severe cases of Crohn’s sometimes require surgery to remove parts of the GI tract as treatment.
“Crohn’s is an auto-immune disease characterized by areas of inflammation throughout the GI tract,” Roshon says. At present, he notes, there is no actual cure for the disease, but the goal of treatment is to control the symptoms and achieve long-term remission.
In Zajicek’s case, his main complication was a stricture of the ileum, the section of the small intestine that connects to the colon, or large intestine. When inflamed, the ileum constricts and won’t allow food to properly pass. His condition was exacerbated by stress. And considering the amount of stress the average professional cyclist inflicts on his body during racing and training, severe flair-ups were common. “The harder I raced or trained, the worse it got,” Zajicek noted.
While his condition can be treated through a combination of medications and alterations to his diet, the symptoms he has shown in the past six months were often debilitating.
“I would get bloated and it would be very painful,” Zajicek said. “At times I couldn’t keep food down and since I wasn’t properly digesting my food, I’d get really fatigued.
“I’ve been feeling crummy for a while and just been dealing with,” he added. “But it got really severe last summer.” Which makes his overall victory at the Cascade Classic last July that much more impressive and surprising.
Zajicek also noted that his off-season training routine involved a lot of shorter, two-a-day riding sessions out of necessity. “I’d be fine for a couple hours, then just fall apart.”
He carried this condition into the team training camp in Solvang in February. “When I talked to him at camp, he was whipped then,” Roshon said. “We needed to get him set up with a full round of tests. Unfortunately, with the short time period between the end of camp and the start of the Amgen Tour of California, the tests had to wait until after that race.”
The effects of the disease on Zajicek became clear during the decisive Stage 5 time trial, a discipline in which the 29-year-old stage racer has excelled the past couple years. Originally thought to be suffering from the same stomach bug that was ravaging the peloton during the Tour, Zajicek was unable to muster the power to get through the time trial within time cut and was eliminated from the race.
It was only after returning to Boulder and going through the full round of testing that doctors were able to accurately diagnose the Crohn’s disease. Despite the fact that he will have to deal with the disease for the rest of his life, Zajicek said that once he was properly diagnosed, it was a relief. “I was just happy to know what was going on and that it was treatable,” he said.
After he got the diagnosis, he began a round of treatment immediately.
“The first week was rough,” he said. He noted that the first round of medications were particularly harsh, but more recently, he’s been switched to another medication that specifically targets the area of his GI tract that is most affected by the Crohn’s. “The treatments are just starting to take full effect,” he said.
He added that already he’s feeling significantly better than he was a month ago. “The side effects are pretty manageable. The last few weeks of training have gone well,” he said. “I’ve been putting out some pretty solid power numbers. I went out Wednesday and did six hard hours and felt good when I got off the bike.”
Team directeur sportif Mike Tamayo is particularly interested to see how his star stage racer will do in Georgia. He also understands personally what Zajicek is going through. Tamayo has suffered from ulcerative colitis – a sister disease to Crohn’s that affects only the colon – for 13 years now. Like Zajicek, he manages the symptoms through a very similar regimen of medications and diet.
“It’s a manageable disease,” Tamayo says. “You just have to learn how to live with it. I think Phil is in that transition period of learning how to manage it, but I think he’ll be fine.”
Zajicek notes that is has been helpful having a team director who, unfortunately, understands from personal experience what he’s going through. “It’s good to be able to talk to Mike about it,” he says. “He understands what I’m going through.”
The Boulder resident is also quick to thank the rest of the team, his family and friends for all their support this year. “My wife, Elizabeth, has been super supportive,” he said. “I’ve gotten great support from everyone in the organization through all this. I’m also very fortunate to ride for a team sponsored by a health insurance company. My Health Net coverage has allowed me to see doctors more frequently than before. Plus my coach, Jim Lehman, has been helpful, especially with nutrition.”
With proper diet being critical to managing the symptoms of the disease, this help has been particularly important. “There are some things I just can’t eat any more, like dairy products and raw vegetables, and no alcohol either,” Zajicek said. “I can eat just about everything else, but I have to eat smaller meals more often so I don’t overwhelm my digestive tract.”
He also noted that it’s easier for him to absorb calories in liquid form rather than solid. “I’ve been drinking a lot of Cytomax Muscle Milk® and Pre-Formance, and using the Cytomax Gels to take in more calories on rides,” he said.
While the disease is now under control, his condition is improving and his weight is steady at a healthy 138 pounds, he’s realistic about his goals for the Tour de Georgia, which starts Monday, April 21, in Tybee Island and finishes 600 miles later in Atlanta on Sunday, April 27.
“I’m feeling good about Georgia,” he said. “I want to use it to get some good racing in my legs, and as a stepping stone to building my form for the summer.”
Tamayo is also expecting similar things from Zajicek in Georgia. “We think this race will get him going for the rest of the season,” Tamayo said. “I’m still confident he can be successful this year.”
But for next week, Zajicek says, “I don’t have any aspirations of my own. My main goal is to help my teammates win stages. Beyond that, I’m just going to take it day by day and see how I feel.”
This approach is likely one that he will keep for the rest of his life as he manages the Crohn’s Disease.
The Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis
for the Tour de Georgia:
Phil Zajicek
Date of Birth/Location: 3/20/79, Eugene, OR
Current Residence: Boulder, CO
Height/Weight: 5’9”; 140
Years as a Pro: 7
Previous Team(s)/Year(s):
Navigator’s Insurance, 2004-07
Saturn 2003
Mercury 2000-02
Strengths on the bike:
Stage races, climbing, time trialing.
Career Highlights
Member, 2005 US National Team, World Championships, Madrid.
1st Overall, Cascade Cycling Classic, 2007
1st Overall, Tour of QingHai Lake, 2004
Phil has been one of the top stage racers in North American the past few years. His steadily improving time trial ability helped him to the overall win at the Cascade Classic in 2007. He returns to racing at the Tour de Georgia after suffering from stomach illness the first part of the season.
Corey Collier
Date of Birth/Location: 3/6/1981 Pueblo, CO
Height/Weight: 5’ 10”; 145 lbs
Current Residence: Durango, CO
Years as a Pro: Neo Pro
Previous Team(s)/Year(s):
Team Einstein’s Bagels, 2007
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 2006
Rocky Mounts/Izze, 2005
Strengths: Stage racing, working hard and never giving up
Corey is a strong all-around rider who attracted the team’s attention by posting consistently good results in some of the major stage races of 2007, despite riding for the elite amateur team Einstein’s Bagels. At the Tour de Georgia, he’ll ride in support of team leaders Sutherland and Zajicek.
Matt Cooke
Date of Birth: 8/5/79
Height/Weight: 5’8”; 130 lbs
Current Residence: Boulder, CO
Years as a Pro: 2
Previous Team:
Navigator’s Insurance, 2007
Strengths on the bike: Climbing, races of attrition
Matt was a first lieutenant of teammate Phil Zajicek when the roads turned upwards during many stage races in 2007 while they both rode for Navigator’s. Matt is a strong climber, who will be there for the team’s top GC riders in the hilly stages of this year’s Tour de Georgia.
Matt Crane
Date of Birth/Location: 4.15.85; Hong Kong
Current Residence: Athens, GA/Old Greenwich, CT
Height/Weight: 6’; 148 lbs
Years as a Pro: 2
Previous Team(s)/Year(s):
Health Net Presented by Maxxis, 2007
U.S.A. U23 National Team, 2004-06
Snow Valley, 2004-05
Hot Tubes, 2003
Strengths: Time trials, breakaways
Career Highlights:
Member of 2004 U23 World Championship team
Matt proved to be a tireless worker for Health Net Presented by Maxxis in 2007, proving that every win is a team win. In 2008, he will look to continue his development, and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.
Tim Johnson
Date of Birth/Location: August 5, 1977; Middleton, MA
Current Residence: Middleton, MA
Height/Weight: 5’ 9”; 150 lbs
Years as a Pro: 6
Previous Teams:
Health Net Presented by Maxxis, 2006-Present
Jittery Joe’s/Kalahari, 2005
Saunier Duval-Prodir, 2004
Saturn, 2001-03
Strengths: All-arounder, leadership
Career Highlights:
3rd U23 World Cyclocross Championships (1999)
Five-time and current U.S. National Cyclocross Champion
Tim Johnson is the team captain, and the team leader on the road, bringing his experience and tactical ability to the Tour de Georgia, where he achieved a top 10 finish in 2007. Tim is also one of America’s best cyclocross racers, and is the current U.S. national champion in that discipline.
Karl Menzies
Date of Birth/Location: June 17, 1977, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Current Residence: Boulder, CO
Height/Weight: 186cm; 182 lbs
Years as a Pro: 4
Previous Teams:
Health Net Presented by Maxxis, 2006
Advantage Benefits/Endeavour, 2005
Strengths: Sprinter, classics/one-day, all-arounder
Career Highlights:
4th Overall, National Racing Calendar Individual Points Competition, 2007
2nd Overall, NRC Individual Points Competition, 2006
5th Overall, NRC Individual Points Competition, 2005
13 wins, 21 podium appearances, 2007
Karl Menzies had yet another strong season in 2007, finishing in the top five in the NRC individual points standings for the third consecutive year. The big man from Tasmania is strong and relentless over any terrain, and is a threat for stage wins in bunch sprints and out of breaks.
Frank Pipp
Date of Birth/Location: 5.22.77, Iron Mountain, MI
Current Residence: Boulder, CO
Height/Weight: 5’9”; 155
Years as a Pro: 3
Previous Teams:
Health Net Presented by Maxxis, 2007
TargeTraining, 2006
Advantage Benefits/Endeavour, 2005
Strengths on the bike: Whatever my director needs
Career Highlights
13th Overall, NRC Individual Rankings, 2007
20th Overall, NRC Individual Rankings, 2006
1st Elite National Criterium Championships, 2004
Frank continued to improve in 2007, achieving a break-out win at the Presbyterian Healthcare Invitational last August. His ability to read a race, finish strong after a long day in the saddle, and his strength as a team player make him a critical component in stage races like the Tour de Georgia. Look for Frank to get in breaks all week, and help with lead-outs for Karl Menzies.
Rory Sutherland
Date of Birth/Location: February 8, 1982; Canberra, Australia
Current Residence: Canberra, Australia
Height/Weight: 188cms, 78kgs
Years as a Pro: 3
Previous Teams:
Health Net Presented by Maxxis, 2007
Rabobank ProTour Team, 2005
Rabobank TT3, 2003-04
Rabobank Amateur, 2001-02
Strengths: Fitting into most races, one day classics
Career Highlights
1st NRC Individual points competition, 2007
1st Young Riders classification, 3rd Overall, Tour of Denmark, 2005
1st Australian U23 National Championships, 2004
In his first year racing in North America, Rory made his mark, winning the individual NRC points title, and contributing to numerous wins and podiums in helping Health Net Presented by Maxxis win its fourth consecutive NRC team title. Rory scored two podiums at the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, and is looking for a strong showing at the Tour de Georgia as well.
Riders to Watch
Team Captain:
Johnson
For the Overall Title:
Sutherland
Zajicek
For Stage Wins:
Menzies
Pipp
