Mikhail Morkov (Deceuninck-QuickStep) told L'Equipe how, despite the coronavirus crisis, he was able to finish the first 20 days of the season with a series of races, starting with the Tour Down Under in Australia in January, followed by the Paris-Nice and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in March, the ill-fated Tour of the UAE, and gold medal at the Truck World Championships, he told L'Equipe how fortunate he was to end the first 20 days of the season with a race.

"The situation in the United Arab Emirates was incredibly fortunate, even for me, leaving just before the coronavirus exploded," he told the French newspaper on Tuesday.

Morkov had finished the race on stage 4, following an agreement with his team to retire early and return to Europe to represent Denmark in Madison at the track world championships in Berlin, Germany.

"It was a coincidence that we didn't stay another day in the UAE Tour," he said, after which many teams were sequestered in hotels in Abu Dhabi.

The 34-year-old headed to Berlin, but by then he knew what was happening in the race he had left and decided to lock himself in his hotel room until he could be examined by Covid 19.

"Obviously, as a potential carrier of the virus, I didn't want to risk anyone's health. Sitting only 500 yards from the track [where the World Championships were held], it was mentally painful to think that I might have to watch the race I had dreamed of winning on television."

"I was so excited that I was going to be able to see the race on TV," he said.

However, Morkov was able to get a coronavirus test and went back to his room to roller train in the hope that he might be paired with compatriot Lasse Norman Hansen in Madison for the championships.

The day before the competition, Morkov learned that he had tested negative for coronavirus.

"When the person in charge [of the World Championships organizing committee] called me to say I was free to race, I was so happy that I had to ask him to confirm it three times," he explained. And the race with Lasse was something special. It was probably the best race for us"

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The two were crowned world champions on the final day of the track world championships on March 2, defeating New Zealand and Germany to win gold. Moakov then competed in the French stage race Paris-Nice (March 8-15).