6-22-07 // Online Exclusive: Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå Is Still Out

World Champion cross-country mountain bike racer Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå is still unable to compete. Gunn-Rita missed the Champerey World Cup two weeks ago due to a stomach virus, which she still has not fully recovered from. She is currently undergoing recuperative therapy at her home in Norway. Thankfully, medical tests show she is getting better and the infection should be over within a few days.

This illness occurred in the middle of the racing season and has been a severe setback for Gunn-Rita. The effects were further amplified because the infection remained un-diagnosed for quite some time while Dahle kept on practicing intensively.

“At the moment, I cannot train, due to a lack of both the necessary power and energy. Instead, I sleep a lot and go through a lengthy phase of recovery. It’s very hard for me to be forced to such a break in the middle of the season. I know that rest and relaxation must be the main ingredients of my training plan for the next two weeks, and I think I can handle it. The bonus is that we get to spend a lot more time with family and actually get to experience a bit of the Norwegian summer here at home,” said Gunn-Rita.

She’s going to miss the next two World Cups in Canada, but is hoping to make her reentry into racing just in time for the European championships due to be held in Turkey on July 15. But of course her major goal is still to defend her World Championship titles.