Lene Byberg (Specialized) is recovering from a viral infection and will not race the Offenburg World Cup. (Image credit: SLIX)
Specialized's Lene Byberg will not be at the start line for round three of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country in Offenburg, Germany, on Sunday.
The Norwegian, who won a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships, has been suffering from a viral infection for a month. After round two of the World Cup in Houffalize, her doctor advised her not to train or compete; hence, her only choice for this weekend is to stay home.
"I noticed the symptoms of the infection in Dalby racing the first round of the World Cup," said Byberg. "I still had it in Houffalize (at round two of the World Cup), but was positive that I would recover well for the race in Offenburg. But this viral infection has taken all my energy, and I understand that I need to take time for my body to recover 100 percent before starting to compete again.
"I am back on my bike - just training easy," she said. "The plan is to spend June building up my strength again with good training back here in Sandnes, Norway."
"My next race will be in Trondheim, Norway, at the end of June, where I will race the Norwegian Championships in the criteium, road race, cross country and marathon."
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
