Laporte to return at Cyclassics Hamburg 315 days after last race day
Visma-Lease a Bike's loyal Frenchman Christophe Laporte is set to return to competition at Sunday's WorldTour one-day the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg, a full 315 days after his last race in October 2024 – at the Autumn mini-Classic Paris-Tours which he won – due to a lengthy struggle with cytomegalovirus.
"It was the toughest period of my cycling career. I had never experienced anything like it before," Laporte said in quotes included in his team's announcement for the German one-day race. "This summer I have been able to train well, and I can’t wait to pin on a race number again. Building up my condition wasn’t easy after such a long break. In recent weeks, I have spent time with my teammates in Tignes. It felt fantastic to be part of the group again. I really missed that feeling."
Laporte returns as part of the defending team, albeit without 2024 Cyclassics champion Olav Kooij. Wout van Aert has been drafted in as leader in Kooij's place, reuniting a prolific partnership with Laporte.
"Seeing Wout ride solo onto the Champs-Élysées was truly magnificent – great for him and the whole team," Laporte said of watching the Tour de France, for which he was on the original lineup. "At the same time, it was frustrating at moments to watch races I would normally be competing in."
