Cycling news - Bora Hansgrohe's Lennard Kamna takes break to recover from infection, will miss Tour de France
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Updated 29/05/2021 at 12:05 GMT
Bora Hansgrohe's German rider Lennard Kamna has had his season derailed ahead of his attempt to repeat his 2020 Tour de France success. A longstanding problem with an infection has affected his health and he will be taking a break from the sport with the intention of returning in the second half of the season.
Lennard Kamna
Image credit: Getty Images
Bora Hansgrohe’s Lennard Kamna has announced he will take a break from competitive cycling as he attempts to recover from a longstanding problem with an infection.
The problem has affected his Tour de France training and also complicated his physical and mental health. The impact of taking some time out has been mitigated by a year’s extension to his contract with the team.
The 24-year-old German had impressed last year with stage wins at the Tour de France and the Criterium du Dauphine, and was expected to challenge again this year. He won a stage at this year’s Volta a Catalunya in March this year, but an infection was compounded by his premature return at the Volta ao Algarve.
"After long consideration and intensive consultation with my coach and the team, I have decided to most likely not participate in the Tour de France this year. The decision was very difficult for me, and it is also one that hurts,” Kämna said.
“To be honest, I have to admit to myself that maybe I pushed the accelerator too hard during the spring and paid too little attention to my regeneration and what my body was trying to tell me.
“I want to be open with my team and the public. Unfortunately, the past weeks have also weighed on me mentally, more so than I wanted to initially admit. Now, with a heavy heart, I have to accept the reality that I’m currently not fit enough to meet the demands presented by a Tour participation. I’m now going to invest a lot of time and energy in regeneration and slowly building up my form.”
Kamna however suggested that while optimistic, full time racing may be months away.
“However, I would like to stress that I am doing well. Nevertheless, I’d like to be able to freely determine my return,” he said.
"That could be in the short term, but it's likely that we'll decide together not to fully re-engage again until the second half of the season.
“I am extremely grateful to my team, especially my coach Dan Lorang, for all the support during this time.”
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