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NEW YORK Five-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist and orthopedic surgeon Eric Heiden will begin writing a weekly fitness column for Tribune Media Services (TMS) next month, the company announced Thursday.

In the column, which will be distributed to print and online publishers both in the United States and abroad starting on Nov. 3, Heiden will dispense fitness advice and principles he has learned throughout his career as an athlete, surgeon, and sports team consultant.

“Eric’s unique position as a former world-class athlete and cutting-edge doctor will offer a perspective on fitness like no other,” Mary Elson, TMS' managing editor, said in a statement.

In addition to his career as a speed skater, Heiden also completed the 1986 Tour de France. He co-founded the UC Davis Sports Performance Center in California along with Dr. Massimo Testa, who is also co-medical director for USA Cycling.

The son of an orthopedic surgeon, Heiden also directs the Sports Medicine department at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Salt Lake City. He is a team physician for several professional teams, including the Sacramento Kings and Monarchs, and for numerous Olympic speed skating and cycling events, including the U.S. speed skating team this February at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“Writing a column will be a great forum for me to connect with other athletes and exercise/health enthusiasts,” Heiden said in a statement. “I’m proud of what I did as a speed skater, but I find what I’m doing in my practice, and now with the column, to be my most rewarding accomplishment.”

This is not Heiden’s first experience with newspapers. In September, his treatment of speed skater J.R. Celski’s leg injury was chronicled in a New York Times sports cover story. He has also authored “Faster, Better, Stronger: Your Fitness Bible” (Collins, 2008), co-written with Dr. Testa and DeAnne Musolf. He currently lives in Park City, Utah, with his wife Karen (an orthopedic surgeon) and their two children.

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