To begin with, an existential question: Would you continue to pedal at the Giro d'Italia of professional cyclists if you tested positive for the corona virus? Remco Evenepoel, favourite for overall victory, decided against it. Observers already speculated that his weakness on the mountain during Saturday's stage, when Primoz Roglic left him behind, was the work of the virus, while in the same breath his toughness during the victory race a day later in the 35-kilometer individual time trial was praised.

Anno Hecker

Editor in charge of sports.

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Full throttle into lactate. A tough dog defies virus! Corona can initially increase performance because the core body temperature rises and the competitive athlete gets into full swing at 38.5 degrees Celsius, as Professor Wilhelm Bloch tells us in general terms when asked.

Severe consequences

The head of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine at the German Sport University Cologne is intensively involved in the consequences of Covid-19 for the body and soul of athletes. On the question of whether Evenepoel was weakened or even strengthened for a moment, he waved it off: "Pure speculation."

The only tangible thing is the risk of suffering long-term long-term damage with the virus in the body at full steam. Even if, after a positive test, the symptoms of a disease are absent (for the time being). Sven Erik Byström nevertheless - "it was hard" - continued to cycle until the Norwegian began to show reason on Tuesday.

In Bloch's sense, the descent of positives is the fastest way to re-enter about ten days later; best, if not necessarily, after the proverbial check of heart and kidneys. An underestimation of corona, Bloch warns, turns some athletes into long-term patients.