Tyler Farrar, Tour de Georgia stage 7 Tyler Farrar was released today from a hospital in Ghent, Belgium where he spent the past three days for a potentially serious face/neck infection. Tyler is based in Ghent when in Europe, but was lucky enough to have his girlfriend Stephanie Wade drop everything to travel from the US to be with him in Europe.

Last Wednesday, Tyler awoke with a swelling in the area where his jaw, ear, and neck meet. He called me from his local hospital and described what sounded like parotitis, which is an inflammation of the parotid gland. The parotid gland is the largest of the salivary glands. Parotitis is fairly uncommon; the most common version is caused by a childhood virus that we all know as the “mumps”. An ultrasound confirmed Tyler’s parotid gland was inflamed and swollen, though probably not by the mumps virus. In many cases of parotitis, the exact cause is never precisely determined.

Tyler began anti-inflammatories, heat, and massage and was discharged from the hospital. We were hopeful that the situation would resolve quickly, and that he’d be able to compete at Picardie and Catalunya as scheduled. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. His case worsened and it was necessary for him to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics and further care by an ENT specialist. It was a real disappointment for him to be sidelined by such an odd medical situation and to not be able to race at those two important events.

But now Tyler is much improved, home, and will soon be back racing.