Roczen reveals respiratory issues
Ken Roczen has explained his loss of pace on Wednesday night by revealing he has suffered respiratory issues after becoming sick in November/Decemeber.
Riding at high altitude has seen Roczen struggle to hold the pace in SLC in both main events so far and, battling a guy that lives at altitude for the title, means Roczen is now at a big disadvantage, even though he has the raw pace.
The German was flying at the start of the main event on Wednesday night, even passing Tomac,but his lap times dropped by two seconds a lap from before the halfway point and he was powerless to fight with Tomac once he got passed by the championship leader and now sits 13 points behind Tomac in the series.
Roczen said: “SLC Round 2 was not a good one for me. I have been having breathing issues for a few months now. I got really sick in November/ December that attacked the respiratory side of my body really bad. It has been going on for a long time and i am not able to get rid of it. I have developed a mild asthma that I was unaware of before but I am not sure if that is the actual issue to be honest.
“Having said that there is medication for that but it doesn’t seem to change my restrictions. It is not something I talk about because when I am out racing it doesn’t matter what issue I have because all that matters is the end result. I am always going out to do my best and push my body as hard as I can. Obviously I had to let go after just about 8 min into the main, which is obviously not normal. I know that this looks bad but unfortunately it is what it is and I am not giving up. There are still 5 rounds to go and I’m always down to try and do some magic!
“The last thing I want to do is let down the people that believe in me. I just thought my fans should know. To go out and win your body has to work in top notch form. Other than that i have been feeling pretty good on the bike and am plenty fast enough to win. Onto Sunday!
Image: Feld Entertainment, Inc.
