Mark Cavendish and the Epstein-barr virus
I was one of the first to be diagnosed with EBV 35 years ago, still have flare-ups every couple of years, and have always struggled to get a GP to recognise it. Still, last year at 70 years of age I rode with a group from Ventoux to Nice in a day: 301km and 6,500 metres of climbing. Don’t let it get you down. Rusty Morris
Some people get very sick with EBV and others have never noticed they had it until we happen to do their EBV serology and find they have antibodies showing previous infection. In his case, as a pro athlete, his immune system will always be at its limit and they are far more likely to get sick more often. Iain Rossiter EBV is a pain in the butt. It stays in your system, and the bouts of tiredness/ weakness diminish over time but don’t go completely, just become almost unnoticeable. Marc Cashin
This virus screwed up my cycling career and life at 16 years old. Still have it at 31 years old. Do not wish it upon anyone. Dean Cass Collier
I know exactly how this affects my body as I have episodes of great form but days or weeks later my glands will be the size of ping-pong balls in my neck and I’ll fall asleep anywhere. Duncan Parsonage