With all races cancelled in May and no word on when racing will resume, professional athletes are being given a rest week to get back into shape in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Cycling News spoke with Deceuninck-Quick Step trainer Kane Pelgrim about how the athletes are doing during the race hiatus.

Deceuninck-QuickStep and the rest of the peloton got their first hint of the pandemic's spread when a virus was found in a race participant at the UAE Tour on February 27. Pelgrim recalled the shock and stress when this new virus (SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease known as Covid-19) first came into contact with professional cycling.

"It was a stressful situation for them being there, and it was in the early stages of what we have now, so none of them really realized how big a threat this situation would be. I think it was a bit of a shock to learn that the coronavirus was already present among people involved in cycling. Until then, it was just a few people in faraway cities in China and Italy," Pelgrim told Cycling News.

Fortunately, none of the team's staff or riders were infected and were allowed to return home. However, riders from UAE Team Emirates and Gazprom Rusvelo remained for several weeks after testing positive.

This leaves professional riders facing the frustration of cancelled races, limited outings for training, changes in season goals, and "social distancing" in a lifestyle that is usually social and goal-oriented, after the rapid spread of infection and rising death toll

"The plan is to have a good time.

"The whole plan has to be readjusted. It's difficult because normally you know what you're aiming for, but now nobody knows," says Pelgrim. Everyone has to reset a little bit and get into a more long-term program." [What we did for most of the athletes was to give them a brief week to reset the system a bit, recharge physically and mentally, and lose some of their shape.

"Typically, you want to spend time in the gym and doing core training. Gym workouts are very useful, especially for sprinters and that kind of rider. Gym workouts are very useful, especially for sprinters and that type of rider. For them, it's back to the December program."

With the virus showing no signs of slowing down across Europe, there is little indication as to when racing will resume. Pelgrim speculates, "I think the earliest it could happen would be the end of May or June, when the Dauphiné and other races of this kind take place." But even if the Tour de France does take place, it seems unlikely that the usual pre-Tour high-altitude training camps will take place.

"I wouldn't look at a high-altitude training camp because of the uncertainty. Because the ones that would take place at this time of year would be in Spain, Sierra Nevada, Tenerife, and later in the season in Livigno, Italy, or somewhere like that. Under the current circumstances, of course, such a thing is impossible. And I don't know how long it will last.

One thing is for sure, if there is a chance to race, there will be fierce competition to get on the team.

"If the race were to resume in June, all 28 of us would be dying to get in the race. So right now, they will give priority to the riders who will compete in the Tour and get them ready for the Tour, which they need to do."

As for the other riders, the pressure will be on them to make the team to race, especially for those with longer contracts. Depending on the UCI's decision, there may be an overload of races in the second half of the season.

"We don't know what the calendar will look like for the second half of the season. Do we really want to reschedule all the races we are cancelling now, or will we cancel them all and resume with the Classics next year? We will probably resume the Classics next year."

On the plus side, the rest period will allow the athletes to deal with the busy months of September and October.

"The rest period will allow for more race days later in the season. We just can't add everything and see how it goes."

"I just think it would be very difficult to add all the other races to the existing calendar. We have a limited number of riders on our team," said Pelgrim.

"I think the UCI will have to create a new calendar as soon as it becomes clear what the situation will be. At the moment, nobody knows."