Cycling star Chris Froome has opened up on the long term health and heart concerns he has suffered since suffering from COVID-19. Froome contracted the the virus at this year's Tour de France, forcing him to drop out of the race after 17 stages.
The 37-year-old soon made his return to the track to compete at the Vuelta a España, but despite finishing the race he struggled throughout As a result the four-time Tour de France winner put his problems down to the effects of COVID-19.
Froome opened up on his battle on the bike after contracting the virus, claiming that it zapped him of energy when he was out competing on his bike.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Froome said: "I came out of the season not feeling good. I feel I really needed a break. COVID really knocked me for six. I just wasn't able to come back from that.
"I never felt like I had lots of energy on the bike. I went to the Vuelta to build through the race but all the way through I felt flat, flat, flat." The cycling star noted specifically that his VO2max levels took a hit after heading to Israel for physiological tests in the off-season.
He went on: "There's definitely a heavy impact on the heart, having COVID. It's not just like having the flu, like a lot of people think, especially for pro riders. From those I've spoken to within the peloton, a lot of guys are really struggling with after-effects two or three months down the line - feeling fatigue, feeling as if they don't have the same energy levels, strange heart rate readings as well."
"It was good to go to Israel, do a whole load of physiological tests, go and check VO2 max, which was definitely affected by having COVID. So some heart checks which was important as well just to check that everything was all right."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itdZfwaEm98
Despite his struggles, the 37-year-old now seems to be coming out of the right end of the virus' effects, reassuring his fans he is back in full training where his body feels 'much cleaner'. Froome commented: "It's great to get back into regular training.
My body feels so much cleaner, everything's starting to work better, I'm less sluggish, more energy. I don't know if it's just those endorphins that I really missed but it feels great to be back training."
