Breathing problems at high intensities hampering performance
Still rebuilding his form after a September 2009 scooter crash which left him in a coma for days, Saxo Bank SunGard rider Jonny Bellis has said that he is undergoing a series of medical tests to pinpoint the cause of breathing issues.
The 22 year old Manx competitor competed earlier this month in the Hel van Het Mergerland on April 5th, and was one of many non finishers. He explained that it was a difficult race to start with due to the nature of the course, but that another issue cropped up which scuppered his chances of reaching the line.
“I was having problems with my breathing during the race… The reason why I went off the back was that I couldn’t maintain threshold level for a long time,” he said in his new VeloNation blog. “My legs were okay, but my breathing wasn’t able to back up how my legs felt.”
Since then Bellis has undergone a VO2 Max evaluation, plus a series of medical tests. The final verdict is not in yet, but he believes that the enforced layoff caused by his motorbike crash may possibly have been a reason. “I think the main problem was not doing anything for so long, just laying in hospital…I had muscle wastage, and everything just went really weak,” he said.
He admits to being tense about the issue, which has caused yet another break from competition. But, given that he almost died a year and a half ago, he understands that he has to be patient.
“Basically, it is just going to take time to get better. At the end of the day, you use muscles to breathe…if they are weak, you can’t breathe properly,” he explained. “Legs and muscle strength get stronger, but the breathing has been slower [to improve] than other parts of the body.”
Read Jonny Bellis’ first VeloNation blog here: