Don't expect Christophe Laporte back any time soon, say Visma: "Let me put it this way, his problem has not yet been solved"

Christophe Laporte remains one of the few big-name riders yet to make his 2025 debut, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike has now confirmed that his absence will continue, with no clear timeline for his return to racing. The Frenchman had been hoping to line up at Milano-Sanremo this weekend, but those plans have now been ruled out.

"Christophe is not fit enough to race," team manager Maarten Wynants told Wielerflits ahead of the race. "And actually, we can't really set a date for when he will return. We hope as soon as possible, of course, but Christophe also has to be well enough before he can return to competition."

Alongside Remco Evenepoel, Laporte is one of the biggest names in the peloton who has yet to race in 2025. The season is now well underway, and Laporte is still waiting for his 2025 debut.

Before the Opening Weekend a few weeks ago, Visma had already indicated that Laporte had not been able to complete the training sessions the team had planned for him. There was hope that he could return in time for the first monument of the year, but Wynants confirmed that he remains unable to perform at the necessary level. "He is not fit enough for that either. That is where it starts. He first has to be fit enough to be able to train."

Laporte's prolonged absence has raised concerns that his struggles may be linked to lingering after-effects of the serious virus infection he suffered earlier in the year. However, Wynants declined to go into detail, citing privacy regulations. "I am not allowed to elaborate on medical matters based on privacy legislation. That is difficult these days," he said. "Let me put it this way: his problem has not yet been solved."

With his absence from Milano-Sanremo now confirmed, attention has turned to whether Laporte will be able to salvage his spring campaign, particularly with the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix approaching. However, Wynants was unwilling to make any concrete predictions about when he might return.

"We can’t really say anything concrete about that at the moment," he admitted. "We still hope that he will be able to ride part of the race, but that is difficult to say. I know that the public and journalists like to hear about the chance in percentages. We can’t do that. Christophe has to be fit first, and then we can only load him 100%. It will all depend on how quickly that happens. Where he is now? That is difficult to say."