Although the coronavirus outbreak has postponed the start of the 2020 race season until August 1, Norwegian Alexander Kristoff considers himself lucky to be home when he should be competing in the Giro d'Italia.

"On a personal level, I have to admit that this coronavirus is not so bad for me. Normally I would be racing in the Giro, but my wife was hospitalized last week for the birth of her baby," Christophe told Sporza (opens in new tab)." She slowed down for a while, but we are lucky to get home before the birth."

The UAE Team Emirates sprinter expressed doubts about whether a world tour starting in August is realistic.

"I really don't know. It's going well in Norway, but I don't know what the situation is like in other countries," Kristof said.

"If you move to another country, is there a quarantine period? If you go from one country to race in another, you might have to choose one country as an athlete because you might always have to go through quarantine."

Asked if the race should take place behind "closed doors," i.e., without spectators, Kristof emphasized the risk: "With spectators together, it becomes more dangerous. But that also applies to the peloton: if one player is infected, the rest of the players are quickly infected with the virus"

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"If riders sneeze or spit, they will run close to each other. It is difficult. We can inspect everyone and check if everyone is healthy, but we can never be 100% sure."

He admitted to being a little afraid of COVID-19 infection.

"This virus is not so dangerous for young people, but I am old: 'I am healthy, but my wife is pregnant with twins. I don't want to put my family at risk and I want to take care of them."

Christophe continues to train and prepare for a season in which the races he has won in the past, such as Milan-San Remo, Tour de Flanders, and Ghent-Wevelgem, overlap like a web of high-level races.

"The last few weeks have been very normal training. I haven't been cooped up indoors, so I've been able to cycle outdoors. I'm in pretty good shape. But I still have plenty of time to prepare for my first race. And you always have to wait and see if you can race in August," Christophe said.

"Things are moving in the right direction. There is no real lockdown here, so schools are open. There are some guidelines, such as distancing, but there are not so many new cases, and the situation is improving."[25