Waiting out the virus

Stavanger, Norway, June 20, 2007

Apparently it's a stomach virus that's been ravaging my system for the past week and gradually tapping me of my strength and energy. Two weeks with very little exercise here at home in Norway has been good for my body, and the most recent tests show that the virus is on its way out of my system. The prescription for the next weeks is to "hurry slowly".

Our doctor Knut Gabruelsen brought us the good news this week: that the last blood tests which were taken at the beginning of the week were approaching normal levels again. That means that the virus is on its way out of my body again. I still feel very weak and tired, so I probably have to be patient for another couple of weeks. The biggest mistake we can make now is to start up too hard and too early, and risk a setback. If that happens, a full recovery will take a very long time indeed.

These two weeks at home have given us long and warm days. I haven't had enough energy to do all that much, but we've had a few activities even so. Amongst other things, we've been fresh-water fishing. I had to invest in a new fishing rod, while Kenneth had the opportunity to test out some of the array of equipment he's been collecting for the past years. We seldom have time for this kind of thing, as we're out travelling practically all year long.

I naturally managed to write angling history in a very short time on this single day of fishing. Yes - the kind of fishing stories that I'm bound to be confronted with for the rest of my life, to the great enjoyment of anybody listening. On my first cast, the hook got stuck on the bottom… Very soon my fishing line got in a complete tangle in the spool… and so it continued. I at least caught the first fish of the day! It was, however, so tiny that it only spent a very short period up on land.

I probably won't be going to Canada next week and therefore no participation from me in the two World Cup races taking place over there. The first possibility to race for me will hopefully be the European Championships in Turkey on July 15. It's not good to be in this present situation, but I know that the most important thing now is to regain my health. That's really the case for all of us, no matter what we do.

This evening we're going to visit Mother and Father at Bjørheimsbygd. We're going together with my sister, Peggy, and her boyfriend, Espen. It's guaranteed to be a wonderful evening with delicious barbecued food together with good friends. This weekend Kenneth is going out to fish together with his brother, Frode, while we relax here at home. We'll probably take a trip to the cinema next week, and we'll bring along Kenneth's two youngest siblings, Nicolas and Henriette. And I have a dinner appointment with my good friend Brit.

Norwegian cross-country mountain bike racer Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå made an impressive comeback last year after sitting out much of the previous season due to illness. In 2008, she won the Madrid, Spain, round of the UCI World Cup and the UCI Marathon World Championships and finished 12th in the World Cup final standings.

Dahle Flesjå will take on a new challenge in 2009 when she gives birth to her first child, expected in late March. With the support of her husband Kenneth Flesjå and her family, she aims to return to competition within a few months after becoming a mother.

Don't count her out for the late season World Cups and World Championships races. She was World Champion in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006, plus Olympic champion in 2004. In 2003 to 2006, she dominated the sport, winning the World Cup overall.

Follow her exploits in 2009 on Cyclingnews as she takes on a new, joint role as mother and elite racer. Or, for more Gunn-Rita, see her personal website: www.gunnrita.com