In France, where the entire country is under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, professional cyclists, like citizens, are in an uncertain situation, not knowing when life will return to normal.

Pierre Latour (AG2R La Mondiale) competed in Paris-Nice earlier this month and was named leader of this summer's Tour de France. However, it is currently unclear when the cycling season will resume and whether La Grande Boucle will take place.

"It was one of my priorities this season and it still is," Latour told French newspaper Libération (open in new tab) on Monday. 'Will the race take place? I hope so. We live one day at a time, just like everyone else.'

Latour is currently quarantined at his home in Romain-sur-Isère, where he lives "with his girlfriend, two chickens and his cat, Momo. [Fortunately, he has not gained weight. He's been running a little in the lanes around the house to maintain his form, and doing a little strength training." I should be back on the home trainer by the end of the week. With the season being extended until the end of October, that's a month more than usual for me.

In the meantime, Latour fills his days with Netflix, crosswords, the video game "Fortnite," and gardening.

"The other day I did six hours of gardening. You could say I'm lucky. I'm thinking about people who live in small apartments in the city. For them it's complicated, but for me, every day goes by faster than I expected."

For Adrian Petit (Total Direct Energies), his initial frustration at the postponement of the spring classics was quickly replaced by the realization that, in the context of a global pandemic, missing a bicycle race, even his beloved Paris-Roubaix, would be a minor disappointment. and that missing the Paris-Roubaix, which he loved, was a minor disappointment in the face of a global pandemic.

"I saw on the Internet that the races were dropping one by one. I was disgusted at the start. I think about them all year long. I trained in the rain all winter for this goal. But then I put things in perspective: I 'just' ride the bike. This virus has spread to a huge extent and lives are at risk."

Petit hopes to hold the Spring Classic later in the season.

"Our careers are not that long and our opportunities to ride the great monuments of cycling are limited. I have ridden Paris-Roubaix nine times in nine seasons."

For the time being, Petit says he is in recovery mode, as all racing is suspended until at least the end of April and possibly beyond.

"At night it's aperitifs and family time," he said.

"I walk two hours every day in the countryside, 10 kilometers from Arras. Even in the pouring rain."