The AGR2 Team used whole body cryotherapy during the 2011 Tour de France post stage to improve recovery.
The short blast of extreme cold which covers the entire body from neck to ankle, has the following benefits, explained by the team's medical director Eric Bouvat.
"Cryotherapy is a technique which has been used in Eastern countries for several decades to fight against inflammation in people suffering from rheumatism," Bouvat said. "They saw the effectiveness and developed it for use in athletes with inflamed muscle and tendons after exercise."
"This technique has been developed for use by our team this year in France by the company Tec4H. We use it on our athletes for two reasons: first to facilitate recovery and fight against pain after exercise. Secondly, when used over the long term, cold can help boost the immune system."
"We use cryotherapy on the team after the stages, but we also use it in the morning because the cold stimulates the endocrine system and the production of hormones."
