Colombia's leading professional cyclists, including defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), were on a special flight for athletes that left Bogota's El Dorado Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento International Airport on Sunday They arrived in Madrid.

The coronavirus pandemic led to the suspension of all international flights to and from Colombia on March 23, and the flight ban was extended until August 31 at the most to combat the spread of COVID-19. Professional athletes were given a special exception to travel on chartered flights on July 19, as the Tour de France begins in Nice on August 29.

A video of the athletes arriving at the Bogota airport shows that they took multiple measures, including using hand sanitizer outside the door to the terminal and washing their hands again before entering the ticketing area. They also wore masks throughout the 10-hour flight.

Nairo Quintana, Arkea Samsic's Tour Hope and winner of the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, wore multiple face masks simultaneously and a clear face shield over them.

Quintana was training the morning before the flight when a box truck passed a group of riders in oncoming traffic and made a sudden lane change in front of them, but no one fell. He had just resumed training in early July after a bad knee injury from careless driving.

Also in the field were Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Esteban Chavez (Mitchelton Scott), Dani Martinez, Sergio Iguita, Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling), Winner Anacona (Arkea Sumsic), Ivan Sosa (Team Ineos), Sergio Henao and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), and Diana Penuela (TIBCO Silicon Valley Bank) were also riding.

Thanks to a series of COVID-19 tests prior to departure, the athletes and staff will not have to undergo quarantine upon arrival in Europe and can continue training to return to racing. According to Spanish reports, Bernal and Team Ineos teammates Iván Sosa, Sebastián Henao, and Brandon Rivera will head to Andorra, while others, including Quintana, will head to Monaco, their home in Europe.

Among the 185 passengers on the flight are tennis pros Juliana Lizaraso and Maria Heraso, BMX Olympic champion Mariana Pajón Rondonho and her partner Vincent Perruado, soccer player Isabela Echeverri, Yoreli Rincon, Natalia Gaitan, Lacey Santos, judoka Yuri Alvear and his coach Noriyuki Hayakawa, and other athletes, including coaches, support staff, and administrative staff.

The athletes were cheered on by President Ivan Duque and Sports Minister Ernesto Lucena.

Other pro cyclists were not as lucky as the Colombians: Kevin Rivera (Androni Giocattoli) was stranded in Costa Rica because his work permit had expired, and teammate Jefferson Cepeda could not obtain a visa to travel from Ecuador. He was unable to obtain a visa to travel from Ecuador.

Team Ineos

Egan Bernal, Iván Sosa, Sebastián Henao, Brandon Rivera.

Astana Pro Cycling

Miguel Angel López, Hernando Bohorquez, Rodrigo Contreras, Haroldo Tejada

EF Pro Cycling

Rigoberto Uran, Daniel Martinez, Sergio Igita

Detunink Quickstep

Alvaro Hodeg

Bahrain McLaren

Santiago Buitrago

Movistar Team

Juan Diego Alba, Carlos Betancourt

UAE Team Emirates

Sergio Henao, Camilo Ardila, Cristian Muñoz Fernando Gaviria Juan Sebastian Morano

Arkea Samsic

Winner Anacona, Dyer, Nairo Quintana

Androni Giocattoli

Miguel Flores Jonathan Restrepo, Daniel Muñoz

Michelton Scott

Esteban Chavez

Burgos BH

Juan Felipe Osorio

Caja Rural

Johan Garcia, Alejandro Osorio, Juan Calle.

Colombia Tierra de Atletas GW Bicicletas

Darwin Atapuma, Oscar Quiroz, Omar Mendoza, Nelson Soto, William Muñoz, Brian Hernandez, Hernan Aguirre

(under 23) Diego Camargo, Jesson Casaras, Jesús Pena, Wilmar Molina, Wilson Pena, Didier Melchan

Jyoti Victoria

Jonathan Cañaveral

Khan Farma

Daniel Mendes

Astana

Liliana Moreno

Movistar

Paula Patiño

Ciclismo Sin Limites by Andres Camilo Ardila (UAE), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain and McLaren), Jesús David Pena, Diego Camargo (Tierra de Atletas GW Bicicletas), Johan García, and Juan Fernando Calle (Caja Rural Seguros), separately.