As early season racing quickly leads to major spring goals and multiple COVID-19 infections in the professional peloton, athletes and their teams are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of this virus on their season.

Teams have tightened their COVID-19 protocols time and time again, but more infections are appearing daily, affecting both men's and women's races.

"There are a lot of positives. There are a lot of positives," one team told Cycling News.

Cycling News heard from another source that the spread of the highly contagious Omicron COVID-19 variant in the European peloton may have originated with a team staying at the same hotel for the Challenge Mallorca race in late January. From there other clusters were made at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and then at other races.

The replacement of athletes and staff at different races and bringing COVID-19 from home or picking it up while traveling through European airports may have contributed to the increase in the number of infections.

The peloton is not alone in feeling the increase in cases. Reuters reported earlier this month that 1 million cases are reported almost daily in the region, and about half of all new cases reported worldwide are in Europe.

Teams continue to conduct internal health monitoring and testing, but can participate in stage races of seven days or more if they are negative for pre-race PCR testing administered by the UCI. PCR testing for the peloton will only be conducted on Grand Tour rest days.

New cases of infection occur almost daily in the peloton in various races.

Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for the third time in two years and will not be able to compete in the UAE Tour, which starts on Sunday. His UAE Team Emirates leader, Tadey Pogachar, recently tested positive but has recovered and will lead the team in his home race. It remains to be seen if he will be able to take the overall win.

BikeExchange-Jayco, Jumbo-Visma, and Team DSM have withdrawn from the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana due to a string of positive tests for COVID-19. Davide Ballerini and Caspar Asgreen of Quick-Step-Alfa Vinyl were unable to compete in the Tour de la Provence, while Richard Karapas tested positive in last week's race in France.

Alejandro Valverde and some of his Movistar teammates had to miss this week's race Ruta del Sol as a precautionary measure after two riders tested positive for COVID-19 at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana He had to miss this week's race, Ruta del Sol, as a precautionary measure.

On Friday morning, the Gazprom Rusvelo team had to miss the Vuelta a Andalucía's Ruta Ciclista del Sol due to a positive test for COVID-19 from part of the Russian team.

The UCI recently suggested that vaccination coverage (both players and staff) within the team is 97%. However, data at the end of 2021 show lower vaccination rates, and some teams admit to having players and staff who are opposed to vaccination.

Although the number of cases will likely decrease in the coming weeks and months once the peak of the Omicron variant passes, current COVID-19 cases are forcing teams to make frequent roster changes. This has disrupted race programs, early season form, and rosters. There is also a real risk that teams will be forced to withdraw from races due to a lack of riders.

If a rider tests positive, they must be quarantined until they test negative, losing at least a week of valuable training. In addition, UCI medical protocols require riders to undergo rigorous heart and lung medical checks before they can race again.

While some riders appear to be recovering quickly and returning to training and racing rapidly, other teams are concerned about the damage COVID-19 can cause if a rider is seriously ill and returns to training too soon.

One team told Cycling News that medical staff are advising riders not to train intensely until after a detailed checkup. Some riders will test negative in a few days, while others will test negative, and it will take about 20 days for the tests to be completed.

Cofidis' Jere Wallaise tested positive upon arrival in Volta Ao Algarve and is currently quarantined in a hotel in Portugal.

"I have already read some strange articles about riders who have developed corona. So I'll be extra careful the first few days," he told WielerFlits.

"I don't think I'm recovered enough to ride the opening weekend in Belgium, but I should be fine for the rest of the spring. I want the doctor to check my body first.

Losing a team leader or key rider on the eve of an important stage race like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or the UAE Tour, especially Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico, is something no one wants to happen.

Peter Sagan will make his season debut this weekend at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var after being unable to train as planned for 17 days after testing positive in early January, forcing a change in his race program.

While most countries have eased restrictions as the latest COVID-19 numbers drop, teams are tightening protocols to try to stop the spread of the infection within their teams as major races approach.

At Jumbo Visma, which was forced to close its training camp in January after a COVID-19 outbreak, face masks are required for riders and staff, social distancing rules remain in place, riders sleep in private rooms, and air purifiers are used in the dining hall and team bus. All players are required to wear face masks and the rule of social distancing remains. All players know that a rapid test is performed daily and that any possible symptoms of COVID-19 must be immediately communicated to the team.

"There is fear. It's almost Omloop. You don't want your leader to be sick two or three days before the start," Toon Kruyt, team doctor for Quick Step Alpha Vinyl, told Het Laatste Nieuws, explaining the sense of fear within the team.

"The players know to let us know immediately if they feel any abnormalities in their heart rate or body temperature. Since we are putting already infected athletes together, there is little chance of new infections.

Kruyt is particularly concerned about infection during flights.

"We can take as many precautions as we want, but we can't prevent it completely. The greatest danger is during the flight. Flights from Saudi Arabia and Valencia are causing a "boom" in infections," he suggested.

"Airplanes are hotbeds of COVID-19 infection. The ventilation system keeps the air constantly circulating, and the more air you send up the wind, the more air you blow away."