The Canberra cycling star was recovering from the coronavirus on her own in Europe.

Making matters worse, she developed a heart condition that sidelined her for more than four months.

But the Trek-Segafredo sprinter refused to give in and returned to her winning ways in her first race back and now she's mindful of not letting it go to her head.

That doesn't mean she doesn't plan to keep winning, with a busy schedule right through until the end of October.

Hosking spent four-and-a-half months out after contracting COVID-19, but returned to racing in emphatic fashion by winning the fourth-and-final stage of the Ladies Tour of Norway last week.

Now the 30-year-old has her sights set on the Simac Ladies Tour, which starts in the Netherlands on Tuesday, with an eye on the world championships in Belgium in September.

For someone who's used to winning, Hosking's making sure she continues to work hard despite her early success.

"I went into Norway with very little expectations - I was just looking at it as an opportunity to get back in the peloton, see where I'm at and use it as a building race," Hosking said.

"Then to have already come away with the win I need to be quite careful that I don't let it go to my head and think, 'I'm fine, I don't need to keep working hard' because it's that instant gratification.

"But that is not sport. It's very rarely instant gratification - you've got to slog through it to get to the good stuff."

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Leaving then Covid-free Canberra in February for Europe, with all the problems over there, "seemed stupid" to Hosking.

But when your job's riding bikes it's where you have to be.

She was extremely careful, but a breach of her team bubble ended with a 7am phone call she dreaded as soon as it rang.

While her symptoms were mild, there were always concerns about how it would affect her long-term.

"At first I was OK, but then I started to get a bit more scared because ... a lot of the information coming out is it effects your lungs," Hosking said.

"I was really worried. Am I going to be able to come back to the same level?"

With her husband still in Australia, Hosking felt isolated.

Plus she developed pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart, leaving her in limbo.

She had no idea when she would be able to return, no set training to do.

Motivation became an issue as she felt like she was just drifting along.

She even had a false start, with what was supposed to be her final check-up not living up to its name.

But then in July came the all-clear she'd been waiting for and her husband was able to fly over.

"It was really hard not to have a plan and not to have a finish line because I wasn't sure when the inflammation would go away, if it would go away or when I could get back racing," she said.

"I struggled a lot with motivation and then I got super lonely. I was alone in Europe - everyone else has their family here, I can't go home, my family can't come to Europe and it was super tough.

"It was really hard to not be, 'This is too hard', throw your hands up and just give up."

Where to from here? Well first there's Simac. Then things get busy.

The pandemic has pushed back a lot of races that would normally be held earlier in the year, meaning when her season would normally wind down they're getting busy instead.

Hosking has her sights set on the worlds and a course that might not suit her perfectly, but it's one she thinks she can ride a good race on.

"I highlighted [Simac] as an opportunity to get some sprint wins on the board and then every race from this Holland ladies tour onwards I see as an opportunity for me to get a sprint win," Hosking said.

"I'm not content with finishing the season with only one good result. I expect more of myself and I know I can do more."