It might be hard to believe, especially looking at a rider in a race leader’s jersey, but Tobias Foss is still not feeling 100%.
The Norwegian won the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps on Monday, outsprinting Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla) and Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) in a select group at the line. It was a victory that felt like it had been a long time coming – his first after becoming the world time trial champion in 2022 – and one that marked the end of a troubled year with illness.
"It feels very good, of course," the 26-year-old told the press in Cortina, asked how it felt to be back on the top step. "Health-wise, I'm way better than I've been in quite a while."
This time last year, Foss was readying himself for the Giro d’Italia, when he fell ill at the Tour de Romandie. "I was going quite well," he remembered. "Then Robert Gesink and I caught Covid, and after that, I spent four or five weeks on the couch, with a lot of fever.
"From then until September, I was always on and off. I would train for two weeks and then I was completely cooked again. I was never really consistent. I managed to scrape some kind of form together to finish the season, and then, in September, I was quite sick again."
This time, it was glandular fever. It showed up in a medical screening with Ineos Grenadiers, the team Foss signed to join in the new year. He wasn’t sure when he had caught the disease, but with his immune system down and performances lacking, it didn't come as a surprise.
"We called it a year and I had about eight weeks of off season without the bike," he said. "It was a really long time, but it was super needed. I still feel like I’m getting back."
It would take six months in total before Foss returned to racing, making his comeback at the UAE Tour this February. Monday's Tour of the Alps stage was just his eighth race day this year.
After the finish line in Cortina, the 26-year-old grinned through the post-race melee. He stood side by side with Geraint Thomas, one of the favourites for the overall, and the team-mate who gave him the nod to attack. Then came Torstein Træen, Foss's compatriot at Bahrain Victorious, who pushed his way through the bustle and tapped him on the shoulder.
It was a small gesture of congratulations. At the same time, though, it was a recognition of the journey the Norwegian had been on. Almost 19 months after his victory in Wollongong, Australia, Foss found himself in a small village, nestled among the Italian vineyards, finally back to winning ways. He dealt Træen back a beaming smile.
What does the future now hold for the former world champion? "Personally, the Olympics will be my main goal this year," he said. "Hopefully I can lay a good foundation in the first half [of the year], and then I really want to target the time trial at the Olympics."
