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Why has Poole not raced since those Portuguese events? He has picked up another virus. "I'm not a doctor, but it's simply a virus he picked up in the aftermath of last year's Epstein-Barr," says sports director Phil West. "He's training again and back on the bike, but we don't want to rush him."
Poole therefore did not start the Tour of the Alps, and was also absent from the Tour of Turkey — the fallback plan. West kept his cards close to his chest regarding decisions about the Giro. "We're keeping all options open, as we do with all riders under medical supervision. We need to take the right steps at the right time."
Nevertheless, the Giro in May looks like an unrealistic target for a rider who hasn't raced since February. "I have to be honest and say I'm not really focused on when Max can race any more. We get general updates showing that his training is going well. But when we take the next step, I don't know. Maybe it will be sooner than we think — but we need to be careful."