Reusser's Worlds prep has been less than ideal, but 'even at 95%, I'm a very good cyclist'
Marlen Reusser is among the favourites for this weekend's challenging ITT at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. However, the Movistar leader has not raced since she dropped out of the Tour de France avec Zwift during stage 1 while still struggling with symptoms of food poisoning.
"As soon as I was on the bike, I saw stars. That's why I went home," Reusser said of her withdrawal from the Tour, which came just weeks after diarrhoea impacted her Giro. "It was the right decision; otherwise, I would have been completely destroyed. It was just bad luck."
The Swiss star is historically a magnificent time trialist, she's won both the TTs raced this season, but yet another illness has interfered with her preparation for the Rwanda Worlds.
"As soon as I'd recovered and started training again, Hendrik [her partner, ed.] caught the flu, which also affected me," Reusser continued, describing her post-Tour experience. "I probably hadn't even fully recovered yet. That's why I was back in bed in August. Anyway, even at 95 per cent, I'm a very good cyclist. I'd prefer it to be different, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet."
