Marlen Reusser is back in life as a professional cyclist. In the run-up to the team presentation of her team Movistar, she is bursting with energy and has scheduled her comeback for the end of January at races in Mallorca.
16.12.2024, 19:37
16.12.2024, 20:32
SDA
"The uncertainty of a relapse is practically gone," says the Bernese rider, who seems to have definitely overcome post-Covid syndrome. "I can train fully. Full load," she enthuses and talks about her performance development in training: "I got better very, very quickly. That's really impressive."
Her fire can also be felt via video conference. The 33-year-old is currently in Madrid, where she will be presented as a transfer coup and star at the Movistar team presentation on Wednesday. At the end of October, Reusser signed with the Spanish team until the end of 2027, and the Swiss rider feels ready to take on the role of leader. To this end, she has also relocated to Andorra. From there, she wants to put the suffering of 2024 behind her once and for all.
The Bernese athlete first tore a ligament during training in Mallorca, followed by a Covid infection in February. In March, she broke her jaw, ear canal and teeth in a mass crash at the Tour of Flanders, then an infection and finally post-Covid syndrome forced her to take a break with an uncertain outcome.
She digested the cancellations for the Olympic Games in Paris and the home World Championships in Zurich. "I would have thought I would have struggled more. But I'm looking ahead," emphasizes the athlete, and she's already making a big start on her goals for the 2025 season: The doctor is aiming for the overall classification for Movistar in the three major tours of the Giro, Vuelta and Tour de France and gold in the time trial at the World Championships in Rwanda.
Reusser's message is clear: "I'm back." She can put an end to the nightmare 2024 season. To symbolize this, a final appointment with the dentist is on the agenda on Thursday.
