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Alice Lethbridge, a former British time-trial record holder, relied on indoor training and virtual racing after symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome made outdoor riding difficult. She returned to the road briefly after Botox injections, but says the effect has worn off and she is riding indoors again while doctors consider another round.
Alice Lethbridge, a former British 100-mile and 12-hour time-trial record holder, turned to indoor training and virtual racing after symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome made riding in outdoor bunches difficult. She told Cycling Weekly that Botox injections later let her return to the road for a time, but the effect has worn off and she is back indoors while doctors consider another round.
Lethbridge, 41, first experienced symptoms during the East Cleveland Classic in spring 2024. She told Cycling Weekly that turning her head while riding outside made her dizzy and nauseated, and that numbness in her hands made it difficult to remain in the bunch. Later that summer, her hands became worryingly cold, prompting her to seek medical care. She said the diagnosis took almost a year.
She could continue riding on an indoor trainer because she did not need to turn her head to check behind her. Lethbridge said treatment delays led her to focus on virtual competition rather than wait to resume outdoor racing. She was already familiar with the format: she joined Zwift in 2020 and made her debut for Great Britain at the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships within two years.
During school holidays, she said she trained as much as 20 hours a week; during term time, she typically trained 10 to 12 hours. She adapted her approach with harder intervals and virtual group rides on Zwift and MyWhoosh, including rides with the FemmeCycle Collab community. Lethbridge also said prize money from MyWhoosh helped pay for physiotherapy. These are her account of her training and the financial support she received, not a clinical assessment of the condition.
Virtual Racing Kept Her Competing
Lethbridge’s experience shows how indoor cycling can provide a practical way to train and race when symptoms or treatment limit outdoor riding. For her, a fixed trainer removed the need to turn her head and helped her maintain a structured routine while her ability to ride on the road was restricted.
The social side mattered as well. She told Cycling Weekly that group rides and team commitments helped replace the company of riding outdoors. Virtual racing also offered a route to prize money that she put toward physiotherapy. Her story does not establish that indoor training is suitable for everyone with similar symptoms; individual medical advice and activity limits depend on the person’s condition and care.
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From Road Racing to the Trainer
Before her symptoms began, Lethbridge had established herself in time-trial racing, holding British records over 100 miles and 12 hours. She said she had ridden outdoors only a handful of times in the 18 months before returning to the road this summer, despite wanting to ride outside.
Her experience with esports racing predated the diagnosis. After joining Zwift during the 2020 lockdown, she progressed to international competition for Great Britain. When outdoor riding became difficult, she changed her training rather than relying on traditional long weekend rides, using intervals and online group sessions to maintain endurance and motivation.
““It was making me feel very dizzy turning my head outside… I started to feel like maybe I was going to vomit.””
— Alice Lethbridge, speaking to Cycling Weekly
Treatment and Road Return Remain Uncertain
The report does not specify the precise date of Lethbridge’s diagnosis, the full details of her medical care, or when another treatment decision will be made. She said doctors had suggested a second round of Botox injections, which she described as something they had not prescribed before. The likely duration or effectiveness of another round is not established in the report.
It is also unclear when, or for how long, she may be able to ride outdoors again. Lethbridge’s account describes her own symptoms and experience; it does not provide a general medical recommendation for people with thoracic outlet syndrome.
Doctors to Consider Further Injections
Lethbridge said her doctors have suggested trying another round of Botox injections. She hopes this could support a longer return to outdoor riding, but no treatment date or outcome was reported. For now, she is riding indoors and expects to keep using virtual training even if she can spend more time on the road, because she finds it easier to fit around her work as a biology teacher.
She also encouraged riders who struggle to train indoors to join a team or arrange group events. That is her personal advice, based on the motivation she found through virtual community rides, rather than a substitute for medical guidance.
Key Questions
What condition was Alice Lethbridge diagnosed with?
She told Cycling Weekly she was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. The report describes symptoms including numb hands, unusually cold hands, dizziness when turning her head outdoors and nausea.
Why could she ride indoors but not outdoors?
Lethbridge said riding on a trainer meant she did not have to turn her head to look over her shoulder, a movement that made her feel dizzy outdoors. This describes her experience and is not general medical advice.
Did virtual racing help pay for her treatment?
She said prize money earned through MyWhoosh helped her contribute toward physiotherapy. The report does not give an amount.
Can she ride outdoors now?
She returned to outdoor riding for a time after Botox injections, but told Cycling Weekly that the effect has worn off and she is back indoors. She hopes another round may help, but its timing and result are unknown.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
