It's been ten long months since French Classics star Christophe Laporte last pinned on a race number, but the wait will finally come to an end at the Cyclassics Hamburg this Sunday.
Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been out of the racing scene since ever he won Paris-Tours last October, with tests in January showing he had cytomegalovirus meaning he had to battle a long illness before he could return to form.
The 32-year-old was forced to skip one key goal, the Spring Classics, and the former Gent-Wevelgem and Dwaars door Vlaanderen winner will, at long last, make his return in Germany's biggest one-day race, the hilly Cyclassics Hamburg this Sunday.
Laporte will be joined there for Visma by Wout van Aert. Following his participation in the Tour de France, including a spectacular victory on the last day, the Belgian is making his return to racing in 2025 slightly earlier than expected after teammate and defending Hamburg champion Olav Kooij fell ill.
"After a strong Tour of Poland" - winning stage 1 and then taking part in a break on the very hilly last day - "Olav was struggling with symptoms this week," Visma Head of Racing, Grischa Niermann said in a team press release.
"He ultimately proved unfit to start. We have a fantastic replacement in Wout. He's very motivated to make it a great end to the season."
Van Aert himself described the addition of Hamburg, a 207 kilometre race where the repeated ascents of the Waseberg climb often shape the entire event, as a minor adjustment to his plans, but one about which he felt very enthusiastic.
"This is a WorldTour race that often turns into a battle between the sprinters and stronger Classics riders. My only participation, in 2022, showed that the course suits me."
While Van Aert, second in 2022 in Hamburg in a small group sprint behind Marco Haller, will be taking on the likes of the top favourites Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Laporte is simply happy to be there.
The French allrounder described the lengthy recovery from the cytomegalovirus as "the most difficult period of my cycling career. I'd never experienced anything like it.
"I've been able to train well this summer and I can't wait to wear a number again. Building up my fitness wasn't easy after such a long absence. I spent the last few weeks in Tignes with my teammates. It felt great to be part of the team again. I've really missed that feeling.
"Hopefully, we can do well with Wout this year and I hope I'm good enough to help him and the team. Without race rhythm, that's difficult to predict, of course. [But] The most important thing for me is that I'm back on the bike and will no longer have to just follow the team on television."
