Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) argued that if the race resumes this summer, it would be better to delay the Tour de France from its usual July date so that the leading riders could approach the Tour de France in similar conditions.

"Even if the Tour de France is held in July, this forced interruption will affect us all.

"It could be better if it were postponed.

In Bernal's case, "mentally and physically" he is not training right now. I had a good preparation for Paris-Nice, and when I got back to Colombia, I got on the roller table. But afterwards, with my trainer, we decided it was best to rest now."

"There are still about 15 days left until April 13" - when the 19-day blockade currently in place in Colombia will end. Bernal is currently actively campaigning on social media to stay home, but as for his strategy when the time comes to get moving again, he said, "I want to train for five or six days [at home] and then start riding. If I rest up, do an hour or two on the turbo, then hit the road, I won't lose what I've been doing since December."

In an interview with Federation, Bernal did not say whether holding the Tour behind closed doors was a good idea, but said it was not yet clear whether it was feasible.

As for cycling's 2020 Grand Tour, Bernal said, "I hope it will happen because of cycling, because of the sponsors who have invested a lot of money and have been hit by the closure."

"If it doesn't take place, that's very serious. What is clear is that the world must go on and this (Covid-19) must end at some point."

Bernal also paid tribute to Nico Portal, director of Team Ineos and Team Sky, who recently died of a heart attack at age 40, in an interview with the Colombian Federation. 'He kept us calm during the race,' she said.

"Thanks to him, we were able to put everything together for the moments that mattered. It's a big loss. On a personal level, I still can't believe it.