A year ago, Torstein Traen won the Tour de Alps mountain competition.

Incredibly, thanks to anti-doping tests that found early indicators of the disease, after early diagnosis and treatment, he returned to stage races in Austria and Italy with Uno-X and came close to winning the fourth stage to Predazzo.

The 27-year-old Uno-X rider was defeated in the day's sprint contest by Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar), with 19-year-old Italian rider Giulio Pellizzari (Green Project-Bardiani CSF) in third place.

After an emotional and life-changing 12 months, Treien has made a remarkable recovery.

"Last year I raced here while battling cancer and didn't even know it. It was special to be back," Treien told WielerFlits after the finish.

Treien was contacted by anti-doping authorities on May 13 after the tumor marker human chorionic gonadotropin was detected in his specimen, and he was found to have testicular cancer.

Doctors found a 15 mm tumor in his testicle and removed it, but due to the early diagnosis he did not have to undergo chemotherapy; in July, Treien was able to announce that he was cancer-free.

"I've had 99 problems, but cancer is not one of them anymore," Trean joked in an Instagram post.

"All joking aside, the first few months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer were crazy. Fortunately, the surgery was a success and I can finally enjoy my cycling life again. I am truly blessed to have Uno X for their support during this difficult time. Their support has been invaluable. I can't wait to get back on full throttle again soon."

He returned to racing in late August, finishing third in the season-ending Le Tour de Langkawi.

Upon his return to the Tour of the Alps, Treien was ambitious, emotional, and eager to leave his mark on the race.

"In the end Mühlberger was faster. I couldn't drop him on the climbs.

"I wanted to do better in GC, but it was a pretty difficult year.