By Shane Stokes
Stuck isolating in a room in Belgium rather than building form for a Rás Tailteann he hoped to win, Conn McDunphy has spoken about his deep disappointment in missing next week’s race.
“It is devastating,” he told stickybottle, speaking by phone from the EvoPro Racing team house in Belgium. “This and the nationals road race were the only two goals for the year. Everything had gone perfect up until up until (last) Sunday. Because I was going well, I was able to attack in the Ronde de l’Oise. It was a hard stage race, it wasn’t like it was an easy one.
“I got myself in the top ten already this year in the Netherlands (the 1.2-ranked PWZ Zuidenveld Tour on April 30th – ed), so the form was good. But all I can do now is focus on recovery and try to refocus.”
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McDunphy was part of the EvoPro Racing team who contested the 2.2-ranked French event. He was 14th on the opening stage and finished in the bunch on the remaining three days, ending the race 30th overall. However, he started showing signs of his illness there and knew the following day that something was really off.
“I was feeling really good in Ronde de l’Oise,” he explained. “It just came down to bonus seconds and sprints and stuff, but I was there or thereabouts. On the last stage on Sunday I wasn't feeling myself, and then we were straight into Paris-Troyes on the Monday, a one day race. I was one of the first riders dropped, from the gun.
“I was like, ‘what is going on here? That’s not me.’ Then I got progressively worse from there. I went for PCR and it came back positive. Two nights ago, I was as sick as I've ever been, really. My resting heart rate was 91. It is normally 40. I had aches and fever and just not feeling good. I’m kind of feeling a bit better now, it just feels like a real bad cold at the moment.”
McDunphy states that it is his first time to test positive for Covid. Unless he had it asymptomatically, he believes he never had the virus. EvoPro Racing’s sporting director Morgan Fox told stickybottle that he believes the risk of catching the virus has increased of late because the attitude towards it has become much too lax, both around races and also in general.
Does McDunphy agree?
“Yeah, 100 percent. 100 percent,” he answered. “Before I got sick, I hadn’t worn a mask in about a month. Over here it is like it doesn't exist. When you go back home (to Ireland) people haven't relaxed as much. But especially here, you know, it's not the same as at home. Everyone's like ‘Covid What?’ Especially in the hotels, because we're meeting so many people every week.
“It was just a matter of time, you know. Probably my own fault in a way, but it is also bad luck.”
McDunphy said that he doesn’t know where exactly he caught it but he did note that some riders from another team have come down with some sort of sickness after the Ronde de l’Oise. Whatever the source, it means he will miss out on riding a key event for him.
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“It’s very disappointing not to do the Rás, particularly as well I was actually quite close to winning in 2018. The day over the Wicklow Gap I was in virtual yellow. But sure look, it is what it is.
“At the same time, it's very rare that you're going into a race and you genuinely believe you can win it. Especially big races. But it is what it is and I can’t really change it. It's just the nature of the world right now, unfortunately.”
Both Fox and McDunphy have said that he has received advice that he shouldn’t try to rush back into training. The possibility of long Covid and other complications is thought to increase when people who have had the virus push themselves too soon. This is even more so the case with athletes.
The careful approach means that his chances of retaking a national title he won two years ago is now not going to happen.
“Realistically I think the national TT is out of the question. That’s a bit too close,” he said. “My coach told me 10 days minimum off the bike. That is also what Morgan said, and the team doctor. So that would put me three days out from national TT and that would just be silly to try…
“Realistically, if I'm going to ride the Nationals and the national TT, I want to be able to try and win. That's just me, I don't go into things half-heartedly.”
However he could in theory compete in the second of the big nationals events.
“As regards the road race, we will see. If I'm feeling okay when I get back on the bike… I think it's the 19th, the day the Rás finishes, that I am allowed to start cycling again. If I am feeling okay and I get a good week’s training in, there is no reason why I can’t ride the nationals.
“But yeah, realistically, going on from here, I think it will be the races later in the season that I will have to try to target. Because I think it will take a bit of time for the body to come back from how sick I was over the last two days.”
Missing out on key goals is a big blow to the 25-year-old, particularly when he has been riding well. However, while the Rás and nationals were his two main goals for the year, he has already identified other targets instead. The first begins on July 29th, giving him plenty of time to get back to top shape. The second starts on September 6th.
“We've got two really nice stage races in the summer,” he said. “Kreiz Breizh and then we are also riding the Turul Romaniei, the Tour of Romania, which has a five kilometre prologue in it. So that should suit me down to the ground.
“I normally go the best towards the end of the season anyway, so hopefully I can just kind of reset and get a nice block of training after this. And then we can go from there.”
