Manager Ralph Denk was at a loss given the many illnesses in cycling.
“I’m not a doctor either. But it’s clear that in previous years we didn’t have any corona, there were no vaccinations and fewer respiratory diseases than now. And I speak for the entire peloton,” said the boss of the German cycling team Bora-hansgrohe the spring classic Milan-Sanremo.
Numerous drivers such as World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (France), European Champion Sonny Colbrelli (Italy) or ex-winner John Degenkolb had to pass for the first classic of the season. Denk’s racing team was particularly hard hit.
“19 drivers out of 30 are currently injured,” reported Denk. This includes the German champion Max Schachmann, actually a bench at the spring classic in northern Italy. But Schachmann is out of action with an infection.
“It’s a vicious circle”
Sprinter Sam Bennett was also absent due to a respiratory illness. Bora only started with five instead of the seven possible racers in Milan. “It’s a vicious circle. You’re obliged to take part in the races and you can’t say you’re skipping Milan-Sanremo. But you have another WorldTour race in Catalonia next week. You’re also obliged there,” says Denk.
The solution is to improvise. “You start to mend, just send the racers from one race to the next. And that means there’s no real form building anymore. The healthy racers are no longer regenerated because they race more than planned,” says Denk .
The problem doesn’t just affect Bora. Even with the competition, sick leave is unusually high. Possibly late effects of Covid diseases? “We don’t know,” says Denk.