No professional rider would welcome the current race interruption. Jasper Steiven had just won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and had been away from winning the Classic for several years until the coronavirus outbreak.

The Trek-Segafredo rider took his last spring win at the 2016 Couleur Brussel-Coone.

"The first week or two were hard, but I quickly changed my mind," Stuyven told Cycling News in a video call Friday.

"I'm taking it really positively now. The other riders worked really hard all winter to get into good shape and they didn't get anything out of it. I know my hard work paid off and I got a big win,"

"I'm really happy with my performance.

Similarly, Stuyven has adapted to the harsh, closed environment of his adopted home of Monaco, where outdoor training is not permitted.

"It was tough at first, but after two weeks of confinement, I was in the right frame of mind to deal with the situation.

"That being said, I spend more time with them, walk my dog, go to the home trainer a lot, and make the most of every day. It's actually working and I'm enjoying my time at home. I'm doing okay."

Stuyven described himself as being "in between mental battles to train on the rollers" because of his lack of outside riding. he did not step on the gas when the race was suspended by the UCI. by March 17, all spring Even though the classic races were postponed and Paris-Nice ended three days later, Stuyven continued to work hard until April 12 to emulate his usual spring efforts.

"I worked really hard for the four weeks between the end of Paris-Nice and the date of Paris-Roubaix.

"Usually next week I'll start training again with a bit more schedule and more work; I'm also hoping to be able to ride out there again from the beginning of May."

Still, Stuyven is not yet sure what kind of training he will actually do once he is on the road again. The Tour de France has been rescheduled from August 29 to September 30, followed by the World Championships, the Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España.

The UCI has stated that it will host major one-day classics, but has so far not revealed possible dates, with theories that various races will be held in August, September, and October.

"In a way, it's a nice enough calendar, but I don't know if it will happen," Steuben warns. 'It's up to the governments to decide if these events can take place, and to me that's still a big question mark.'

"I have read about many possible dates for the Monument, or the Classic. One day I read that some will be held in August, the next I read that they will all be held in October. Even if they are confirmed, it will be up to the governments or the World Health Organization to decide.

As for what the change in dates would mean for the chances of success, Stuyven suggested that the Autumn Classic pairings would be something of a lottery, but argued that the main thing was to salvage something from the season, regardless of who the final dates would favor.

"There have been comments from riders that they are always in good shape at the end of the year," he explained, "but they forget that the reason they are in such good shape is because they have ridden the Tour and the Vuelta and come back from the Grand Tour."

"I don't mind. Just that it is important and good for cycling as a sport to have the biggest event at the end of the year whenever possible.".