The January training camp in Israel has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak. Instead, the team will gather in Girona, Spain, this month, but newcomer Chris Froome will not attend, opting to remain in California for further rehabilitation and fitness.

Last week, Israel entered the blockade for the third time, banning foreign tourists from entering the country amid a sharp rise in infection rates. This made it impossible to welcome players of 16 different nationalities to the traditional first team-building camp.

The team hopes to make the trip in February or March, but will begin preparations for the 2021 season next week with a 10-day camp in Girona.

"Due to COVID restrictions and because the border is off limits to non-Israelis, we could not confidently do the camp in Israel that we normally do, so we will do a pre-season training camp in Spain. So we will have a second camp in Israel as soon as possible," said team co-owner Sylvan Adams. [We are looking forward to introducing the home country of ISN to our riders, especially the newer riders who have not attended training camps in Israel in the past. In addition to riding Israel's diverse terrain, the riders will also visit some of the world's top tourist attractions and historic sites. The camp has been very popular with the riders in the past and we will continue the tradition of introducing the riders and staff to the team's home country."

The team will be without mainstay Froome for the first get-together of 2021 in Girona as the four-time Tour de France champion continues his comeback from a career-threatening injury suffered in June 2019. Froome is currently in California and has been allowed to stay to continue his preparations for the season.

"Chris Froome has made great progress since his major injury, both in rehabilitation to balance his body and in strength training," said performance director Paulo Saldaña.

"After internal evaluation and discussion, we felt it was important that he continue in his current California environment. We feel that he is best suited to continue his progress both on and off the bike."

The Girona training camp will have several restrictions regarding coronavirus: one is for stage racers, another for classics, and another for sprinters.

"We need to give them the opportunity to train and learn together how to achieve their respective goals. With so many new riders and new goals ahead of us, it's very important," said team manager Kjell Carlstrom.

Froom will not participate, but will be joined by fellow newcomers Michael Woods, Sepp Vanmarcke, Patrick Bevin, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Daryl Impey, and Patrick Bevin.

Froome will lead the team in the Tour de France, seeking his fifth title, the most in history. He was scheduled to begin his campaign in Argentina's Vuelta a San Juan, but due to coronavirus restrictions, it is unclear if an international team will participate in this race.

Israel Startup Nation has confirmed that it will launch its European campaign at Challenge Mallorca in late January.