"I am 100% sure that the good feeling will come back" - Ben Hermans on the road to recovery following long-covid

Ben Hermans may have been suffering from long-covid but the 36-year-old Israel - Premier Tech rider is determined that it won't get the better of him. Hermans is adamant he will return to his best.

“I can't say that all the problems are over, but I do feel like the normal rider from before in training. In the race that situation is always different, because you are pushed over your limit and that is another feeling," Hermans tells Wielerflits. "I believe that after almost a year of not racing, I have new mental energy again and I know what I'm doing it for. You are then pulled out of the rut and have energy again as if you were 25 years old, so I don't feel old at all."

Initially contracting the virus in February of 2022, Hermans's road to recovery has been a long one. "Nothing worked and I was unable to recover," he recalls. “It was super frustrating. I know from other riders with the same problems that many have stopped. So it was very easy to say: I give up, because the way back is much too difficult. But I like doing the sport, so I am 100% sure that the good feeling will come back.”

Currently supporting teammate Domenico Pozzovivo at the Tour of the Alps, Hermans is enjoying himself even if the results aren't at the level he would hope. "Domenico is also someone who really likes to train. I kind of see myself in that same role. There isn't a day that I don't train against my will. If they tell me to ride seven hours, then I ride seven hours. And if I have to train hard, then I train hard with pleasure,” he says. “Having fun is very important, but sometimes you can have too much fun and overtrain yourself. I think that was also a bit of the problem last year, that I thought I was better than I was and trained too hard.”