{"id":564776,"date":"2026-05-03T23:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T23:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/564776\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T23:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T23:53:12","slug":"i-had-long-covid-which-is-why-i-havent-been-able-to-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/564776\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI had long COVID, which is why I haven’t been able to race\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The explanation for his absence is as stark as it is disruptive. \u201cI had long COVID, which is basically why I haven’t been able to race,\u201d Barr\u00e9 explained, outlining how an issue that initially went undiagnosed steadily took hold during the early part of the season. \u201cI started having symptoms in early February, but at first we didn’t know it was long COVID. I just kept getting ill \u2014 it was two weeks training, one week sick, every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n

That stop start pattern prevented any meaningful progression and quickly wiped out the structure of his spring. Even when he attempted to race in late February at the Faun-Ard\u00e8che Classic and Faun Dr\u00f4me Classic, the effort only set him back further.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the start of April we decided to pull the plug, and I stayed off the bike for ten days so the body could really reset,\u201d he said, describing the moment both rider and team accepted that the original plan had to be abandoned.<\/p>\n

A cautious return with no shortcutsBarr\u00e9\u2019s return finally came at Eschborn-Frankfurt<\/a> on 1 May, where he was able to complete a race for the first time this season. The result itself was secondary, but the simple act of getting through the day marked a turning point. \u201cAn important indication of what is still to come,\u201d he said, offering a measured view of a comeback that remains in its early stages.<\/p>\n

There is no attempt to rush the process. While he has been able to resume training, the effects of the disrupted spring are still evident. \u201cFrom the moment I started training again, I picked it up quickly. But I’m talking about two or three weeks, so I’m not completely certain yet. After three hours I still feel some fatigue creeping in, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that in mind, the focus has shifted entirely. The Tour de France is already off the table, and the rest of the season has been reframed around gradual progression rather than immediate results.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf everything goes well, I hope to be racing again in the coming weeks and also to be in good shape for the French national championships,\u201d Barr\u00e9 said. \u201cI won’t be doing the Tour in any case, so after that I think races like the Cl\u00e1sica San Sebasti\u00e1n, the Canadian races and the Italian autumn classics could be great goals for me. But first of all I just hope to get fit again.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the priority is simple. After a spring that never really began, Barr\u00e9 is starting again from May, with the challenge no longer about delivering on expectations, but rebuilding a season that illness brought to a halt before it ever had the chance to take shape.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The explanation for his absence is as stark as it is disruptive. \u201cI had long COVID, which…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,193614,101,36242,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-564776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-louis-barre","tag-sports","tag-team-visma-lease-a-bike","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}