B&B Hotels - Bert de Bakker of Vital Concepts said that while he believes he and his fellow professionals will return to racing at full strength, he also wonders how the stress of cycling's coronavirus closure is affecting the mental health of the riders ...

The experienced Belgian spent five seasons at the World Tour level with Team Sunweb in various forms, before spending four seasons with them at the Pro Continental level, joining his current French pro team at the beginning of 2018.

He said that while the government sanctions imposed on him were less severe than many of his French teammates, who were based in Belgium but not allowed to ride outside, it was still a difficult situation for everyone to be without a race and not knowing when competition would resume, De Bakker told Sporza.be on Sunday.

"As riders we are not used to being in the same situation for five weeks. 'To go on the same road for five weeks and finish a training ride without a goal is something completely new and not always easy.'

"I often wondered if I was doing the right thing. I was training 20 hours a week and running without a goal," de Bakker said.

"I think if I were to resume competing, everyone would be in top shape," he continued.

"But the question is, how much mental stress is this period for the riders?"

The opportunity to race again gives de Bakker hope that goal setting will allow him to enjoy this shortened second half of the season.

"When the calendar became clear, I took a 10-day rest period. After that rest period, I knew again what I was doing. I had goals again and felt like I was 20 years old. I'm really looking forward to it."

While competing in the Tour de France remains the biggest hope for many riders as in previous years, at least this year's three-week race in France will be more pivotal than ever, as it will be the first of the three Grand Tours this year due to calendar changes. It is likely to be one of the most important.

"It's an objective statement to say that I'm not in the first rank of riders who might compete in the Tour. 'I don't even know if I'll be satisfied if I don't make the Tour. But if I'm good enough and I'm going to compete in the Tour, I'm going to give it my all."

Whether or not he starts the Tour in Nice on August 29, 2013 GP winner Jeff Scherens is giving Paris-Roubaix his all.

This year's Roubaix will be held on October 25, with a higher chance of rain than in previous years in April. The last time the race rained was held in 2002, and de Bakker notes that none of the racers who started that day are still racing professionally today.

"I'm particularly interested to see what happens. In the spring, the weather gets better day by day for Paris-Roubaix, but this year it will get progressively worse for the race."

"No one in the peloton has ever ridden through the 'hell' of wet cobblestones. So it's hard to know what it feels like."

"But racing in Roubaix is always a dream, and I'm not sad if I don't make the podium or the top 10. Last year I thought I could race for a few more years."

"At first I felt that it might be difficult to renew my contract. But in the end, I really enjoyed last season. I wasn't zero percent sure about my future and just ran for myself. It ended up being a great season and I had my best ever run in the Paris-Tours in the fall," said the 36-year-old, who finished eighth in the French one-day race last October.