THE LONG ROAD BACK

When Long Covid ended his pro racing ambitions, Joe Baker had to rebuild not just his health but his relationship with cycling

- Joe Baker

It’s nearly six years since that cold January morning when I wandered downstairs, glanced up from the headlines and murmured to my mum, “This could be really quite bad, couldn’t it?” Over the next two years, my naive worry was more than borne out.

With lockdowns, masks and social distancing, Covid-19 turned the world on its head; most of us ended up catching the virus, and a significant minority, me included, are still feeling the effects - on our cycling and on our lives.

Come spring 2022, I thought I'd dodged the worst of it. I was into my second year racing for Zappi Racing Team - a traditional yet brilliant setup for those aiming to turn pro via U23 Italian racing and UCI events. My ambition was to start the Baby Giro (now called the Giro Next Gen). In truth, I wasn’t good enough to make it to the next level. Competing in the best races an under-23 can do, I was receiving a royal head-kicking every time. But training hundreds of kilometres a week and attempting to follow the pace of Juan Ayuso, Michel Hessman or Mason Hollyman, to name a few, does wonders for one's fitness, even if it is rather painful. But then it happened: I caught Covid-19.

At first the symptoms seemed really mild. That said, my ego took a hit when my resting heart rate, usually a boast-worthy 47bpm, rose to around 80bpm for a few days, while a moderate fever left me shivering in the Italian spring. There was no dramatic cough, no bed rest - it was, at worst, a minor setback. Or so I thought as I strove to do the sensible thing: two weeks off, before easing back with endurance rides. Which is where my real problems began.