Max Poole to miss Vuelta after Epstein-Barr virus diagnosis

The 22-year-old British rider began experiencing issues during his Vuelta preparations, with symptoms worsening at the Tour de Pologne, which he abandoned before the start of stage 5, to undergo medical testing.

The diagnosis revealed that Poole is suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus, a condition that requires extended rest and has previously sidelined numerous professional cyclists, including Mark Cavendish.

“It’s been difficult few weeks trying to work out what the situation was and I appreciate the support the team has given me during this period,” said Poole in a statement released by Picnic PostNL.

“I’m pretty relieved to now understand the root of the problem as it means that I can start to focus on recovery and getting my health back on track. I’m really disappointed to miss the team at the Vuelta, and wish them the best of luck there,” Poole added.

Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna explained the sequence of events that led to the diagnosis, as well as insisted that full focus and priority are on the recovery of the British rider.

“Max didn’t come away from altitude feeling as we’d hoped, and when he continued to decline during Poland we removed him from the race on medical grounds to conduct thorough investigations. Now that we know the full extent of his illness, our focus is simply on looking after him and giving him the time and support he needs to recover fully," Kemna said.

Team doctor Camiel Aldershof confirmed the diagnosis and outlined the next steps for the British rider’s recovery. 

“We’ve been looking into the possible reasons for Max’s health problems over the past few weeks, and today we confirmed that he has Epstein-Barr virus with glandular fever. Sadly, this means he’ll need a longer period of rest while we work on getting him back to full health. Now we know what’s behind his symptoms, we can start moving in the right direction with his recovery,” said Aldershof.

Poole was one of the stars twelve months ago at the Vuelta a España, achieving four stage podiums and finishing 3rd in the points classification despite being a climber. Based on a solid 11th place at the Giro d’Italia in May, the British rider would have been confident of replicating or even improving upon his impressive display from last year, but will now turn his focus entirely on his recovery process with no immediate racing targets.

As of the time of the statement released by the Dutch team, Picnic PostNL has yet to confirm their Vuelta a España lineup, but it will now not include Max Poole, who will be a significant miss.