Kevin Reichlin, D.C.’s (Main, ‘84) career has spanned four decades and he spent 11 of those years on the care team for the Tour de France.
With a passion for cycling, Dr. Reichlin eventually pursued sports chiropractic. To those who want to do the same, he advises, “Whatever sport you’re into, learn as much as you can about it and immerse yourself in the community you wish to serve.”
As a member of the care team on the Tour de France, Dr. Reichlin says, “My responsibilities extended beyond the hotel or team bus; I was a part of the race itself, providing support from the team cars or strategically placing myself along the route to deliver sustenance to the athletes mid-race,” he recalled.
Dr. Reichlin was there to help in case of a crash or other health needs. If a rider crashed, he would start treating them in the team bus on the way to the hotel. After a day of racing, most of his evening was spent working on the athletes. A triage process developed as the days went by, whereby some riders needed more care than others. For a team of eight riders, Dr. Reichlin would typically work on five to seven of them every evening.
The core of Dr. Reichlin’s work with the athletes involved chiropractic adjustments, laser therapy, nutritional supplementation, and soft tissue manipulation. His comprehensive approach was aimed at immediate injury recovery as well as enhancing overall performance. The grind of the Tour, as Dr. Reichlin describes, was intense. Spanning 21 stages over three weeks (e.g. 21 days of racing), the job demanded resilience and flexibility, requiring him to adapt to the mobile nature of the race, transitioning through numerous hotels – often a new hotel every night – while maintaining a high level of care for the team.
“It was a grind for sure! Despite the logistical challenges, it’s also worth noting that I didn’t do this in an arena, instead, I got to do this all over Europe; France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, etc., in the Alps and Pyrenees mountains as well as the coasts of Mediterranean and Atlantic seas and vineyards of France and Italy!” he exclaimed.
After everything Dr. Reichlin has seen and done, he recently published a book. Titled “Your Pain is a Superpower: Learn to Use it Wisely,” the book is a culmination of his holistic approach, aiming to empower patients to understand their pain as a pathway.
“I was inspired to write the book after more than 15 years of patients encouraging me to document what I was doing (and saying) differently than anyone else,” he commented.
For Dr. Reichlin, being a doctor of chiropractic was not just a career choice but a calling, deeply influenced by his father’s legacy as a Palmer graduate and a Doctor of Chiropractic. His unwavering decision to enter the field, despite the challenges faced by chiropractors in the early days, speaks to a strong belief in the power of chiropractic care to change lives.
Dr. Reichlin advises aspiring chiropractic students to embrace the journey of learning, seek out and follow your passions, and understand the immense impact you can have on the lives of those you treat.
Dr. Reichlin continues to practice enthusiastically, saying, “I don’t ever want to stop! Why would I?”
