“Even being at home with the children was difficult” – Christophe Laporte lays bare the brutal reality behind his nightmare spell
Cycling
Christophe Laporte does not look like a rider rebuilding. A stage win early in the season and a strong ride at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad point to someone already back at a high level, already embedded again in the rhythm of the Classics.
Which is exactly why the scale of what came before it has been so easy to underestimate.
Because the version of Laporte missing through much of last season was not simply out of form or short of race days. He was, at times, unable to function normally at all. “Even being at home with the children was difficult. I had headaches and was constantly tired. Nothing was enjoyable,” he tells Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “That was the hardest period of my career.”
That is not the language of a rider managing a setback. It is the reality of someone whose life, not just career, had been put on hold.
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More than a lost season
By the time Laporte disappeared from the races that once defined him, he had already established himself as one of the most complete riders in the peloton. His 2023 campaign, built on major Classics wins and a European title, had positioned him at the centre of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s one-day structure. What followed was not a dip. It was a stop.
A cytomegalovirus infection removed any sense of continuity, replacing it with a daily uncertainty that offered no clear timeline and no guarantees of progression. “You wake up every morning expecting to feel better, and when it lasts that long, you start to think that moment might never come.”
The absence of improvement, rather than the illness itself, became the defining challenge. “The hardest part is that you expect improvement every day. When it doesn’t come, you start to lose confidence.”
Attempts to map out a return only reinforced that uncertainty. “We kept setting goals, hoping I might be able to come back by then. But we kept pushing them further back.”
In that context, the idea of racing quickly became irrelevant. “At a certain point, I just needed to feel good in my body again before I could even think about cycling.”
Christophe Laporte punches the air as he wins stage 1 of the 2026 Vuelta a Andalucia
Why the comeback is misleading
Seen purely through results, Laporte’s start to this season suggests a rider returning to his expected level. A win, a near-miss, a visible presence in the races that matter. But that reading skips a crucial detail.
There was no gradual build from late 2024 into early 2025. No steady progression. No controlled return to form. There was a break. “I couldn’t walk for more than 20 minutes without feeling very unwell. I was on the sofa all day,” he explains.
The gap between that reality and his current level is not a continuation. It is a rebuild. “I feel good now. Much better than last year. After such a long period, I had to prove to myself that I could still do it.”
Back where he belongs — but not where he left off
That distinction matters for the Classics. Laporte is once again part of the conversation, once again a rider capable of shaping races rather than simply surviving them. But this is not the same trajectory that once pointed upwards in 2023. It is a new starting point, reached after a period that stripped everything back to basics. “It’s nice to be back. I missed it last year.”
The objective, however, remains unchanged. “I want to try to win a Classic. That is my goal, and also that of the team. I have the legs and I’m ready.”
What has changed is the context around it. Not the ambition of a rider building on success, but of one who has already come through a phase where even the idea of racing felt distant.
And that is what makes his presence at the front of races again feel less like a return and more like something rebuilt from the ground up.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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