Ben Hellmans was originally scheduled to make his Tour de France debut in 2020, but the Israeli Startup Nation rider warned of the psychological impact of the social isolation demanded of participants both before and during the race, and from the rescheduled event They chose to withdraw from the event.

The Tour was postponed from July to a new date of August 29 to September 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic that caused the interruption of the international cycling season in March.

The campaign will resume later this month, but Hermans told Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab) that while he will resume activities at the Vuelta a Burgos, he is "99 percent sure" he will forgo the Tour.

"I recently got a 13-page document from the team full of restrictions imposed on the team by the UCI. That memo got me thinking. We should not underestimate the social isolation that riders can end up in," Hermans told Het Nieuwsblad.

The riders will stay in single rooms at the 2020 Tour as part of measures to curb the risks posed by the spread of COVID-19.

"The high altitude training camp before the Tour will be three weeks away from home. And when they return home, they will not be allowed to see anyone but their families. In addition, he will have to undergo two molecular detection tests during his home quarantine.

"Every week during the Grand Tour, for example on rest days, they must undergo the same tests. During the Grand Tour, they will be away from home for four weeks and spend time within the team. Put it all together and you will hardly see your loved ones for seven to eight weeks."

"I will be away from home for four weeks during the Grand Tour.

While much has been written about the physiological impact of the competition hiatus and the condensed fall calendar that follows, Hellmans noted that little consideration was given to the loneliness of participating in a three-week Tour during a time of physical distance.

"The factor of social loneliness has not been addressed much, but it is known that performance is largely dependent on the mental state of the athlete," Hermans said. 'Some cope better than others. But those who are sensitive to social contact will suffer. With such grunts, they will be more isolated than usual."

However, Hermans will compete in at least one Grand Tour in 2020; the 34-year-old will close the season with the shortened Vuelta a España, which runs from October 20 to November 8 with 18 stages.

A crash at the Tour Down Under left Hellmans with a compound shoulder fracture, a broken collarbone, and broken ribs, and he will only race two days in 2020. He will resume his campaign at the Vuelta a Burgos later this month before competing in the Vuelta a España, Gran Piemonte, Il Lombardia, Tirreno - Adriatico, Flèche Wallonne, Amstel Gold Race, and Liège - Bastogne - Liège. He is scheduled to compete in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège.