jarvo said:
Yesterday his Insta Story said that his latest blood work had shown a reduction in the EBV levels in his blood and had been cleared to get back on his bike, so that is a positive step forward in recovery
I'm not sure.
After the acute period of mono ends, there's a period of recovery, and then, you start to feel OK. Like, normal life OK. That's what happened to him before, so he got back to business, riding his bike and living his life as usual.
But EBV has a nasty habit of striking back when you least expect it. When you feel OK and you're glad that it has passed, and you take a deep breath that you got through it, it's time to enjoy the aftereffects. Fatigue, aneamia, deficiency symptoms... Take your pick, the list is practically endless.
I think that's what happened to him this year - he recovered, started going about his business the same way as before EBV, felt good, but bad stuff was still going on in his body. He pushed too hard, EBV came back, and now, he's back to the start.
I hope he doesn't start to train now. Going for a ride with his kids should be OK, but he needs a long period of rest now, and when he starts to feel healthy again, he will still need a lot of rest, and a good plan for the next season. I think winning races is still a possibility for him, but he'll need to be smart about it and not just go whenever he feels strong. He needs a light racing schedule, with smaller races, and I'm not sure that he should ever finish another Grand Tour, however tempting.