Intermountain Press Release

Salt Lake City—One of the world's foremost authorities on training cyclists and exercise medicine thinks Utah is a great place to practice medicine and to cultivate the next generation of great cyclists.

Massimo "Max" Testa, M.D. has joined one of the top orthopedic centers in the country, TOSH-The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, for those very reasons. For the past five years Testa has worked closely with Eric Heiden, M.D. - the five-time Olympic gold medalist in speedskating - to develop a sports medicine and performance enhancement program at the University of California at Davis, centered largely around cycling.

But what Dr. Testa calls "the ideal terrain for cycling training," and TOSH's international reputation for training and treating elite athletes, lured him to the Wasatch Front permanently.

TOSH is a premier 52,000-square-foot orthopedic care facility in Murray. Its staff specializes in surgical services, physical therapy, athletic training and exercise physiology. TOSH is the sports medicine provider for the U.S. Speedskating team and U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and cares for some of the top athletes in the world.

"There are a lot of positive things about Utah that helped make the decision to relocate here very easy," Dr. Testa says. "We have the right facilities and the right terrain, and that makes a dynamic combination when it comes to luring world-class athletes to Utah."

When he was young, Dr. Testa realized he was more interested in sports medicine than in sports. The team doctor for the soccer team he played for impressed him with his approach to fitness and how he applied science to athletics.

He attended the University of Pavia in Italy where he earned his medical degree, followed by four years of specialized training for sports medicine. His first real high-profile job in sports medicine came when he was asked to be the team physician for the 7-Eleven pro cycling team, the first American-based team to ride in the Tour de France. It was there that he first met Heiden and came up with the idea of focusing solely on training and improving cyclists' performance.

Dr. Testa has worked as a team physician for high-profile cycling teams, including teams sponsored by 7-Eleven, Motorola, and Mapei, since 1985, bringing 20 years of experience with him to TOSH. Basing his training programs on science, biomechanics, nutrition, and psychology, Testa has a reputation as one of the best physicians and scientists in the world's cycling community.

Recent Tour de France standout and Rowland Hall graduate Levi Leipheimer uses Testa's expertise and knowledge to help position himself as one of the sport's brightest talents. Dr. Testa also trained other well-known cyclists like Lance Armstrong, Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, and Andy Hampsten, the only American to ever win the grueling Tour of Italy.

But Testa's services aren't reserved only for the elite, professional athlete; his programs are tailored for runners and cyclists of all abilities looking for a measure of improvement.

"I believe exercise is a strong and therapeutic tool," Dr. Testa says. "And I firmly believe that people of all ages and skill levels can benefit from a proper training plan."

"I think cycling here in Utah is an ideal marriage for me and I want to be here for the duration of my career," he adds. "My goal is to get professional cyclists to move and train here and to come for special training camps and clinics at TOSH. My other goal is to continue to grow the sport, and bring it to a new level locally as well."