Trixi Worrack works on her comeback after losing kidney; still hopeful for Rio

After crashing out the Trofeo Alfredo Binda on March 20th and losing her kidney, Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM) was unsure whether she was able to continue her career as a pro cyclist, though she would certainly try.

“Before this I didn’t have a year in mind that I was going to retire. Since my crash and surgery I’ve always wanted to come back,” Worrack said. “The first days I’ll admit were hard, more so because I just wasn’t sure what was or was not going to be possible. But I never wanted to retire.”

Canyon-SRAM informs us Worrack’s rehabilitation is going well and and her sight is set on Rio.

“Two weeks ago I had my first test on a trainer with the physiotherapist and doctor monitoring me. All my responses were good and I was given the green light to start training,” she said, albeit a slow progress.

“Even now I’m not yet at full training. The first week I did 30 minutes or maximum one hour either on the trainer or on the road. I couldn’t stand up out of the saddle or pull on the bars without some discomfort…I would fatigue quickly but that was mostly because my haemoglobin levels were still so low,” explained Worrack. “It wasn’t like returning to training after you’ve had a few days off because of the flu. It was different. I couldn’t ride in my normal power zone, I was simply “riding” but I was satisfied with that.”

As Worrack has been left with only her right kidney, she gets frequently tested to see how her body is coping with her comeback.

“This is the biggest factor that is determining what I can or can’t do. It’s not fear or the loss of fitness in my legs that’s stopping me,” she said. “It’s going up slowly week by week and while that’s happening then it’s a good sign. The test results are determining my training still now.”

If everything goes to plan, Worrack aims for a comeback mid-June.

“Mentally I feel good. I don’t have any fear about crashing when I’m training. It’s not an issue at all…getting back on the bike pos- crash feels the same to me now as it has done before. I’m not scared.  I hope that I can return to my previous levels,” she said. “First I have to focus on returning to racing and I want to be competitive when I do, not just to be there to roll around and finish at the back. I want to be able to have an impact on the races straight away. And then I can just see how things go. If I can race at German Nationals at the end of June it will give me and the national coach a better idea of how my form is.”