Times are tough. Races are being cancelled rather than postponed, and teams are feeling the pinch of cutbacks and furloughs. But as the UCI grapples with factors far outside its purview, riders can only guess what the future holds.

In Ireland, Deceuninck-QuickStep's Sam Bennett is in his second month of detention. He is able to train on the road, but only within a 2km radius of his home, and is passing the time by riding virtually on Zwift. The tentative dates for the Tour de France (August 29-September 20) have been set, and at least I now have a goal.

"It will be nice to have a target date as the race progresses. It's given me new motivation and made things easier, but in another way, financially it's scary," Bennett told the Cycling News podcast.

"Cycling is a business and if we don't race this year, I think the whole structure will fall apart. The Tour de France has to happen. I am concerned about the state of sponsorship because it is our business and our livelihood. As for me, I hope the race will take place and everyone will be motivated. Even if everything is condensed into three months, everyone will be motivated because they just want to race," he said.

The UCI was scheduled to unveil its new, complete 2020 calendar on Wednesday, but that plan was scuttled after international governments woke up to the fact that they are far more likely to be able to determine when major sporting events will take place.

The recalibrated calendar and its announcement has been moved back to the first week of May, but even if it is announced, the situation within the sport will be very different from that of 2019. Races that were already financially hanging on by a thread will be under great pressure, and many expect the smaller races to disband as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It will be very difficult to see previously struggling races run again," Bennett admitted.

"If the recession happens as they say it will, sponsorships will be the first to go.

Although the outlook is bleak, Bennett is at least keeping his spirits as high as possible. He is working on staying healthy and participating in online races.

"I'm just trying to adjust to life as I know it. Right now I'm spending the off-season the same way I did in the off-season. It's kind of hard because I feel like I've been training and building my body for another season for the past six months, but everything is good."

"I was back in Monaco, but after the UAE tour and Paris-Nice, I realized how serious COVID-19 could be, so I decided to go back to Ireland where the language barrier is a little less and a little more comfortable. Also, at the time, Monaco was completely blockaded, but Ireland was not blockaded for another two weeks. It's quiet here. That's the main thing I noticed."

But the mental toll of the lockdown is obvious. The uncertainty of when the next race would be weighed heavily on Bennett's mind. But with a glimmer of hope, the sprinter can now at least put an end to the lockdown, even if it comes with uncertainty.

"After Paris-Nice, I took 10 days off. Not knowing when I would be able to return to racing was the hardest thing for me mentally. There were no target days. But I know it's my job to be fit and ready before the race starts."

"I have to be ready. If I have to race later in the year, I could be facing next year without a break. Without a break to set it up again, a lot of players could explode. There is a lot to think about and a lot of time to think about it."

Enjoy this interview with Sam Bennett and Nathan Haas on Friday's Cycling News Podcast.