Cyivel said:Brief mention here of the timing post Suisse http://velonews.competitor.com/2011...t-of-africa-and-onto-the-vuelta-podium_192373
Also from Walsh's book courtesy of The Hog http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=1371841&postcount=191
With the proviso that there has been contradictory stuff posted about how brutal the treatment is.
Froome's GF/Wife said this on velorooms:
Post 1, October 18th 2012:
I don't know where you got that rubbish about bilharzia treatment being comparable to chemo?!?
I was with Chris when he took the 7-day (NOT 6 week) course of medication (immediately following Criterium International) & while there was some mild nausea & fatigue it certainly wasn't anything like a chemo treatment. He obviously wasn't able to ride while taking the medication.
And yes, he definitely has been struggling with bilharzia... he is due for another test to see if it's cleared his system.
Really... get your facts straight before making accusations like that... pathetic.
Post 2, October 18th 2012:
I'll repeat what I said before... it is NOT like chemo.
If you're that interested, the medication is a strong anti-parisitic called Prazitel.
He took it at the end of March after Criterium International, he had also taken two courses of praziquantel in the past but the parasites kept coming back. He was diagnosed back in 2010 if I remember correctly. It's difficult to say when it was contracted.
It's fairly common for kids to pick it up in Africa playing in dams & rivers and usually goes undetected for years.
Growing up in South Africa myself, we were taught about it in primary school & told to avoid certain areas.
It's really not that strange or uncommon.