Chris Froome: "There's definitely a heavy impact on the heart, having COVID"

Chris Froome had an improvement over the 2022 season where he talked extensively about how his injuries were finally not harming him, however a Covid-19 infection brought down the Briton's season and has seen Froome back to square one after he was heavily affected.

In a recent Youtube video, Froome admitted that "I came out of the season not feeling good. I feel I really needed a break. COVID really knocked me for six. I just wasn't able to come back from that. I never felt like I had lots of energy on the bike. I went to the Vuelta to build through the race but all the way through I felt flat, flat, flat."

Froome raced to third at the Alpe d'Huez stage at the Tour and was riding inside the Top25 when in the third week of the race he was forced to abandon following a positive test. He had been building towards the Vuelta a Espana, which he still raced, however on a level significantly inferior to that of what he had before.

"There's definitely a heavy impact on the heart, having COVID. It's not just like having the flu, like a lot of people think, especially for pro riders," he continued. "From those I've spoken to within the peloton, a lot of guys are really struggling with after-effects two or three months down the line - feeling fatigue, feeling as if they don't have the same energy levels, strange heart rate readings as well."

Whilst some riders have been able to return to competition right after a Covid-19 infection with very little to no effect, others feel it more deeply. It is a situation that varies from rider to rider, and Froome talked about how his VO2 Max values have lowered following the infection.

"It was good to go to Israel, do a whole load of physiological tests, go and check VO2 max, which was definitely affected by having COVID. So some heart checks which was important as well just to check that everything was all right," Froome said.

Now, going into a contract year with Israel - Premier Tech, Froome is likely eyeing the Tour de France once again, revealing in a recent interview that he is considering riding the Giro d'Italia too.

"It's great to get back into regular training. My body feels so much cleaner, everything's starting to work better, I'm less sluggish, more energy. I don't know if it's just those endorphins that I really missed but it feels great to be back training," he concluded. Froome will start the 2023 season at the Tour Down Under.