Laporte on the road to recovery: ‘I honestly would’ve preferred to break something’
After being unable to race or even train this spring due to cytomegalovirus, culminating in his recent inevitable withdrawal from the Tour de France lineup, Christophe Laporte has opened up about the tricky period as he tentatively returns to light training.
“About ten days ago, I started training again,” Laporte told French newspaper L’Équipe. “Very lightly, but I’ve managed a few days on the bike without too many issues. It’s taking a long time to recover and it’s still not fully behind me. I still get headaches and bouts of fatigue now and then.
“I honestly would’ve preferred to break something, because at least then you know when you’ll be back. When I first got sick, I thought I’d be fine in a month. But the team doctor warned me it could take a long time. For most people, cytomegalovirus is harmless, but in my case, it really affected me. As long as the virus is in your system, relapses can happen.”
The 32-year-old Frenchman will slowly rebuild towards returning to racing at the Bretagne Classic, Renewi Tour, the Canadian WorldTour one-days, or perhaps the Vuelta a España.
