Uno-X rider Torstein Træen treated for testicular cancer after routine doping control
Uno-X rider Torstein Træen treated for testicular cancer after routine doping control
Torstein Træen of the Uno-X Pro Cycling Team has revealed that he was successfully treated for testicular cancer having been diagnosed following a routine doping control.
“I got 99 problems and cancer ain’t one (anymore),” Træen wrote in his Instagram post. “Jokes aside, it has been some crazy months being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Luckily the surgery was successful and I’m finally back enjoying life on the bike.
“I feel really blessed that Uno-X team has had my back through this difficult time. The support from them has been priceless. Can’t wait to be back racing full gas soon.”
Træen has been with Uno-X since 2020 – and was on the development team before that – and is one of the Norwegian outfit’s most promising climbing talents. Until his diagnosis, the 26-year-old was having a brilliant 2022 season, finishing ninth overall at the Volta a Catalunya and going on to win the mountains jersey at the Tour of the Alps.
His next big goals were the Tour of Norway and Critérium du Dauphiné, but racing had to take a backseat in mid-May when Træen got a worrying phone call from a doping inspector who told him his blood showed elevated HCG levels, which is a key indicator of cancer in men.
“‘You could be seriously ill’, he said,” recalled Træen, speaking to VG Sporten. “I thought it was nonsense at first, but then they told me I could have testicular cancer.”
The next step was surgery to remove a testicle, and further examination found a 15 mm tumour.
“So very small. We got there very early,” Træen said. “A week later, all the HCG had disappeared from my blood.”
Subsequent testing and a CT scan confirmed that the cancer had not spread, meaning the young Norwegian would not require chemotherapy: he was cancer free.
“I feel better and better every day,” he said. “If I train for a month or two, I hope to be back in good shape.”
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