The first race of the World Tour is still more than two months away, but leading teams are already competing for the best high-altitude campsites around Europe in preparation for the new intense race calendar from August to November.

According to AD.nl (opens in new tab), the Hotel Parador on Mount Teide will open on June 21. However, teams are unlikely to risk flying to Tenerife, and the Italian and French Alps are the destinations of choice for small groups of riders in July and August.

Astana coach Giuseppe Martinelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport (opens in new tab) that he drove from his home near Brescia to Livigno to check out the riders' hotels as the competition for the best high-altitude training locations heats up He said the team is now working with the UCI and the team doctor. Teams must follow medical protocols currently being developed by the UCI and team doctors. Riders will be tested for COVID-19 before heading to training camp, teams will be divided into small groups or bubbles, and the same staff and riders will follow the same race program to limit the risk of contagion within the team.

Astana is likely to camp in Livigno, on the Italian-Swiss border near the Stelvio Pass, in the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, and in Sestriere in the Italian Alps.

Martinelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "We are looking for something upscale, a small hotel with 14 or 15 rooms, where the risk of infection and the need to sanitize the rooms and public areas can be minimized."

While teams are often the only guests at early-season training camps in Spain and Italy, this year they will also have to compete with local tourists looking for a quiet place in the mountains away from the crowds for their summer vacation.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, AG2R La Mondiale has booked a hotel in Sestriere in July, while Bahrain McLaren is considering locations in Andorra, Passo Pordoi in the Italian Dolomites, Livigno in Austria, and Slovenia The team is considering locations in Andorra, Italy. Jumbo Wisma is expected to return to Cutai, Austria, at an altitude of 2,400 meters, while the other Monaco-based racers plan to stay at Isola 2000 on the French-Italian border.

Tom Dumoulin warned that it would be virtually impossible to contend for overall victory in the Grand Tour without the benefits of high-altitude mountain training, and suggested that he would change his season goals if he stays at home in Belgium in March.

"You can only win if you train at altitude before the Tour," Dumoulin told the Wielerfritz website.

"The classification of the Tour is determined by the mountain stages. It's not about being in the best shape you need to be in to get on the podium at the Tour de France. If you don't do that before the Tour de France starts, you won't win.

"We are trying to avoid flying as a team whenever possible, so a car is definitely preferable when going to high altitude.

Fortunately for the Nordic athletes, Schengen European countries will open their borders starting June 3, and Jumbo Visma plans to travel to the Alps by car rather than by plane. However, riders and staff based in the UK will face the risk of mandatory quarantine, as the British government has announced that all entrants must undergo a 14-day quarantine. Other countries are likely to introduce similar restrictions on British nationals traveling to Europe.

Egan Bernal, Rigoberto Uran, Nairo Quintana, and others are currently at home in Colombia, many of them living and training in the highlands. Their problem is how to return to Europe after the Colombian government grounds all flights until August 31. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, many Colombian professional riders will move to Europe at the end of June or July before completing training for the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia with their teams.

Damiano Caruso told La Gazzetta that he will be in Sicily next week, high on Mount Etna. Fabio Al will head to his second hometown of Sestriere between July 18 and August 8. He is currently based in Lugano with Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Bettiol, and many others, but Switzerland should soon open its borders for a trip to Europe.

Nibali has logged some long rides in the Swiss Alps since returning to full training. According to Trek-Segafredo, Nibali's race program will be primarily in Italy, where he will aim for the Giro d'Italia in October. He and his teammates and staff will likely stay in Livigno, Sestriere, or on the summit of San Pellegrino in the Dolomites.