The life of a professional cyclist is, at best, solitary, but never more so than now, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. All racing has been suspended for the time being, forcing the riders to train alone, mostly in the privacy of their homes, using turbo trainers.

Brent Bookwalter argues that despite the isolation they are forced to live in, they must work hard and unite with their peers during the hiatus in order to have their concerns addressed during this precarious time.

"In a perfect world, we would have a riders' union that is structured and poised to intervene at times like this. If there was ever a time when we needed a riders' union, now would be the time," Bookwalter told Cycling News. [There has never been a time in my career when I needed a strong and united Riders Union as much as I need it now. Throughout my career, the riders' union has made incremental progress, but we are the smallest fish in a big ocean. Our conditions and circumstances are influenced by other forces more than anything else. We have no great influence."

The CPA, an association of professional riders, was one of the stakeholders invited to an emergency conference call held by the UCI last week, but Bookwalter, who serves on the board of its North American chapter, ANAPRC, is struggling with the fact that riders' concerns take priority over those of governing bodies, race organizers, and teams He is aware that.

"As a riders' association, I think we have some respect, but not as much as other stakeholders," Bookwalter says. But not to the level of other stakeholders," Bookwalter said. There are far more business, legal, and marketing experts and professionals in the race organizers, teams, and governing bodies than there are in us. While challenging, I am still optimistic and hopeful that we can make our best interests heard and considered.

Bookwalter praised his team, Mitchelton Scott, for withdrawing from the race and protecting the health of the riders, despite the fact that the Tour de France organizers, ASO, forced Paris-Nice in early March when the coronavirus pandemic began to spread in Europe. He praised them for acting quickly to protect the health of the riders.

"It comes at a cost to the sponsors and the relationship between the teams and the race. You want every chance to prove yourself and you don't want to give that up. But in the big picture, given what is best for our health and how this has played out, it was socially and culturally responsible."

When the coronavirus pandemic first began ravaging the cycling calendar, the focus was on the cancelled races and the health risks posed by those that were held. Now, however, the economic impact of the suspensions is beginning to be realized by Astana and Lotto Soudal, two of the first teams to take pay cuts in the World Tour. In particular, there is growing concern that the Tour de France itself will join a number of major events that are being postponed or cancelled as the world works to stem the spread of Covid 19.

The UCI announced last week a contingency plan to extend the season by two weeks and reschedule the Giro d'Italia and Spring Classics for the fall. Bookwalter believes that athletes would be willing to race deeper and with less rest if it would save something that year, but there are limits to how late in the season they can run.

"Shortening the race is a potential solution, and extending the season is part of a potential solution as well. As it stands, most teams spend November and December preparing for the following season."

Also, later in the season, non-contracted riders are placed in an ever more precarious position, especially if teams have to operate with significantly reduced budgets for 2021. Even in times of relative abundance, the transfer market in bicycle racing does not have an end date, which favors employers who are eager to sign riders below market value at the end of the season. This situation will be exacerbated this winter.

"Players in contract years will be forced into a corner later in the season." They will wait, wait, wait, and most likely become desperate and take whatever they can get. And that will change the dynamic as well."

In times of pandemic, of course, everyone has more pressing and urgent problems close at hand. Bookwalter faced the dilemma of whether he and his family should isolate themselves in their European base in Girona or at home in Asheville, North Carolina.

Bookwalter and his wife Jamie's attachment to Girona was strong, and they remained in Girona when they gave birth to their first child, Waylon, in early February, but due to restrictions on travel between Europe and the US, they chose to return home to be closer to their support network of family and friends. Says he, "We made our new life as parents our top priority."

That meant a frantic journey across the Atlantic via Barcelona and Amsterdam a little over a week ago, and when they arrived in North Carolina, they began a 14-day self-quarantine period, aided by friends who had stocked their house with food prior to their arrival. 'Europe was hit first, so there is a chance that Europe could recover quickly. There is definitely a real possibility that I could be stuck in the US while racing resumes in Europe," Bookwalter said. 'But I just tried to do the best I could because I have other priorities.'

After a complicated 2019 campaign, Bookwalter started the new season on a bright note with a good run in support of Jack Hague at Ruta del Sol, but that was his only competitive activity so far this year. Like the rest of the peloton, he is now in the ambiguous position of training for a completely unknown race in the future.

"It's easier to keep preparing than to be ready," Bookwalter said. For now, the work is done on a turbo trainer, and his Mitchelton Scott team promotes their fan-based rides on Zwift as a marketing and motivational tool.

"I have to say that under normal conditions I don't like riding indoors at all," he said. But now is the time."