Ian Garrison (open in new tab) has been stopped from boarding a flight from the US to Europe for the important training camp of Detunink Quickstep (open in new tab) under a strict COVID-19 travel advisory from the European Union.

The American WorldTour NeoPro was about to fly from Atlanta to Amsterdam to join his teammates at a training camp at Passo San Pellegrino in the Italian Dolomites, but he returned to his parents' home in Atlanta and the race in late July/early August He was to hope to be able to fly to Europe before the race resumed.

The European travel restrictions could affect the 29 American men on the World and Pro teams and the 29 American women on the World or Continental teams.

Only a few remained in Europe while COVID-19 was blocked: Sepp Kuss, who was selected to represent Jumbo Visma in the Tour de France, remained in Andorra, while Chad Haga (Team Sunweb) stayed in Girona.

Ben King (NTT Pro Cycling) returned to Lucca, Italy last week after spending time in captivity in the US. Italy had been allowing Americans with proven track records to enter the country, but it is unclear if the new EU recommendations have changed that. Larry Walbus (AG2R La Mondiale) returned to Michigan, but returned to Nice this week, while Tejay Van Garderen (EF Pro Cycling) arrived in Girona before the race resumes on July 1.

Other riders and teams are also scrambling to get back to Europe as the countdown to training camp and return to racing continues.

Velonews first reported Garrison's travel problems, and the Belgian WorldTour team confirmed to Cycling News that he was stopped from checking in for a flight in Atlanta and had no work visa or residence permit.

Garrison had received a letter from Deceuninck-QuickStep explaining his role as a professional athlete, but it was not enough to secure entry into the EU.

"This year I was going over there full time for the first time. I was going to be based in Girona, but I ended up coming back after the whole Corona thing started. I was just in the process of getting my visa, and then I went back home, so I don't have my visa yet," Garrison told Velonews.

Most consulates in Europe stopped issuing new visas during the lockdown, but existing visas that had expired were automatically extended for six months.

The EU banned international travelers in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which has killed tens of thousands of people across Europe. After strict blockade measures, countries are gradually opening their borders to non-essential travelers, but only those living in areas where the average number of COVID-19 cases over the past 14 days is below the European 14-day average. In the U.S., 37 states have reported an increase in the number of infected people, forcing the EU to suspend travelers from the U.S.

A number of other countries did not make the cut, including Colombia, Ecuador, South Africa, Russia, and Brazil.

Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), winner of the 2019 Tour de France, will fly to Europe on a specially authorized charter flight with his compatriots on July 19. They have permission from the Colombian government to leave the country and will fly to Madrid, Spain.

The flight is confirmed and the athletes will undergo COVID-19 testing before traveling, but new EU travel restrictions could jeopardize this plan.