"I would’ve preferred to break something" - Christophe Laporte finally back in light training after three months out

Christophe Laporte's 2025 season is beyond saving, but good news finally come from the 32-year-old who is still optimistic about pinning on the numbers again this year. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider had contracted the cytomegalovirus in January and since then couldn't even train, let alone participate in races.

"About ten days ago, I started training again. Very lightly, but I’ve managed a few days on the bike without too many issues," Laporte told L'Équipe. "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."

"It’s already better than it was," the Frenchman explains with a glimpse of hope in his voice. "This past week, I managed two rides of three hours each. Now I hope the worst is behind me, because it’s been two weeks since I’ve had any serious symptoms."

Normally, Laporte would've been a core of Visma's Classics team as well as the Tour de France lineup around Jonas Vingegaard, however now it's necessary to come up with a back-up plan. The projected return of Laporte could be towards the end of summer where he could still find a wide range of interesting races, including Vuelta a Espana, Renewi Tour, or one-day races like Bretagne Classic.

"After being out of action for three months, you need time to rebuild, but I’m not worried about getting back to my old level. I think I’ll be in good shape again by the end of the season, and ready to start strong next year."

"I haven’t had a concrete conversation with the team yet, but riding the Vuelta could be an option, or some of the races I usually do, like the Renewi Tour and the Canadian races," Laporte thinks out loud.

"We’ll make a plan based on how my training goes. Now that I’m feeling better, I can also reflect on the positive side of this whole situation: the last three years, I’ve barely been home. But now, I’ve had time to enjoy being with my family."