World Champion Annemiek van Fruthen returned to the Netherlands just in time from her high altitude training camp in Tenerife, narrowly avoiding travel restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Not only Dutch women but also professional athletes were forced to return home early: Alex Dowsett (Israel Start-Up Nation) is finally on her way from Lanzarote to the UK after struggling to find a departure flight.

Spanish authorities have moved to ban cyclists from riding on the roads in an effort to reduce preventable accidents, fearing that the medical system is about to be flooded with cases of Covid-19.

Van Vleuten wrote on Instagram that he left Tenerife in the nick of time. "Had to rush back home to avoid being stuck in Tenerife for weeks.... Had to rush back home to avoid being stranded in Tenerife for weeks. ......" Hotels were closed (which my hotel was also closed) and training on the street was not allowed.

"I am glad this is still possible in NL, but everyone must be careful. It was a strange feeling leaving El Teide. The risk of infection in Vulcano was very low and I felt safe. Now I am at home. My thoughts are everywhere and changing every day. I used to worry about the race being cancelled, but now I worry about getting this pandemic under control."

European professional athletes are struggling to stay focused on their work as races are postponed or cancelled in April and even May. Van Vleuten said, "I'll talk to my coach this week, set new goals, and make a plan for next week."

"It's hard to keep training without goals," he said, "but this is only a small personal problem compared to the #coronavirus going on all around us. Cheers to all who are working so hard these days to manage this situation in the best way possible!"

Dowsett, who suffers from hemorrhagic colitis, was worried about being stuck in Lanzarote without medication, but managed to leave the country on Monday.

"Things are going downhill fast here in Lanzarote. The problem is getting out before the blockade starts and I am quite worried that Chanel and I will leave the country before my hemophilia medication wears off. The airlines are going crazy with cancellations and no flights available," he wrote on Twitter on Saturday, before getting confirmation of his flight on Sunday.