Tour De France cyclist raises Crohn's awareness

Tour de France cyclist Jake Stewart has worked hard to ensure his long-term inflammatory bowel disease did not trash his chances of competing.

The professional athlete, from Coventry, rode in this year's race for the first time, despite being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2022.

The 24-year-old tackled the 3,500km course across three weeks last month, after being selected by his new team Israel-Premier Tech.

Stewart revealed he was in remission during the race, but is keen to keep raising awareness of the condition.

Jake Stewart, who made his debut in the gruelling tour this year, was diagnosed in 2022 following a procedural blood test

Crohn's disease is a lifelong condition that causes parts of the digestive system to become inflamed.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, blood in stools, fatigue and weight loss.

For Stewart, his diagnosis came to light while at a training camp in Spain through a routine anti-drug blood test that revealed high levels of inflammation.

He was treated with anti-inflammatory steroids and was back racing two months later.

“I’ve been in remission with Crohn’s now for the best part of two years without medication, I’ve been managing it really well,” he told BBC CWR.

Stewart is now in remission and no longer taking medication for the condition

The cyclist, of Tile Hill, added: “We’re sharing hotels with different teams and they have different health protocols, [but] by not trying to eliminate viruses from the race by sending guys home they spread pretty quickly, especially when we’re at peak performance and the immune system is depleted.”

Stewart has since used his experience to try to encourage others who may believe they have Crohn's to speak to their GP, but often the problem is they don't want to "openly talk" about their toilet issues.

"You’d be surprised how many people are affected by Crohn's and colitis and how many people are undiagnosed, because they are too scared to speak to their doctor and get it looked at - that’s my biggest take away.”