Jelly Belly-Maxxis rider Jacob Rathe will undergo surgery next week in San Diego to correct an artery condition that restricts blood flow to his left leg. The surgery will likely end the 24-year-old's season, although a return near the end of the year is not out of the question.
Known as iliac artery endofibrosis, the condition has been diagnosed more frequently among cyclists, including Cannondale-Garmin's Joe Dombrowski and MTN-Qhubeka's Theo Bos. Retired riders Michael Friedman and Stuart O'Grady were also diagnosed with the vascular issue during their careers.
Exacerbated by the cycling position, iliac artery endofibrosis occurs when the main artery feeding the leg constricts, restricting blood flow to the leg during intense efforts. The reduced blood flow can lead to a loss of power, fatigue, slow recovery from hard efforts and, in some cases, pain. Surgery to correct the constricted blood vessel has successfully returned riders to their previous form.
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Despite the growing number of cases in the professional peloton, Rathe suffered from the ill-effects for more than two years before pinpointing the problem. He first started experiencing problems with his left leg during the 2013 season while he was racing at the WorldTour level with Garmin-Sharp.
"It would come on during very hard efforts over three minutes," Rathe told Cyclingnews this week. "At three minutes I would feel it and by six minutes I'd be in a lot of pain, and eventually it was just like it was suffocating; there was a lingering cramping sensation and if you couldn't ease up it would spread."
As bad as it was, the pain was not the only problem. The loss of power in the affected leg, up to 30 percent by Rathe's reckoning, hindered his ability to compete.
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