Top riders go stir crazy locked up in Abu Dhabi hotel
UAE Tour teams facing isolation until March 14 Ineos withdraw from races after Portal death
The three World Tour teams confined to the fourth floor of a hotel in Abu Dhabi following an outbreak of coronavirus at last week’s UAE Tour have been told they must remain in quarantine until at least March 14.
The news will come as a bitter blow to the dozens of riders and team staff who have been holed up at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island since last Thursday, and have been becoming increasingly agitated. Like other international sports, cycling has not been immune to Covid-19.
The special measures announced by the Italian government last night in an attempt to slow down the spread of the virus will almost certainly see the cancellation of Italy’s spring programme, including Strade Bianche this weekend, next week’s Tirreno-adriatico and the first monument of the season, Milan-san Remo, at the end of the month. Riders who have spent all winter preparing for these races will be devastated. But as far as cycling is concerned, the human cost is being most keenly felt on the fourth floor of the Crowne Plaza.
When the final two stages of the race were called off last Thursday, with riders and media confined to two hotels on Yas Island, those caught up in the storm tried to take a positive approach, suspecting that the whole thing might be a bit of an overreaction. But any positivity disappeared after the majority of those tested were allowed to leave the UAE last weekend, with one floor of the Crowne Plaza remaining under lockdown pending further tests.
By Tuesday, when Emirati health officials announced they had identified six new cases of the virus, all connected to the race, the atmosphere had soured. Roberto Damiani, a Cofidis sports director, threatened to go on hunger strike, while the team’s president accused hotel staff of treating his riders as if they had the plague.
“We’re held against our will in a place we didn’t choose and for an indeterminate length of time,” Thierry Vittu said, imploring the authorities to release his riders soon. “When you pass the hotel staff in the hallway, they run away. We’re being treated like we have the plague.”
Nathan Haas, an Australian who rides for Cofidis, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, admitted the situation was beginning to take a toll, with all their early season form having gone down the drain. “It’s frustrating,” he said. “You are following the news pattern of your story in the media as opposed to being told from your hotel. There are security guards everywhere and all the doors are shut.”
The teams in question, Cofidis, Groupama-fdj and Gazprom-rusvelo, face the prospect of their quarantine being extended should anyone else test positive.
Last night, just minutes after the UCI, cycling’s world governing body, announced new measures intended to limit the spread of the virus at the forthcoming Italian races, including “increasing the distance between the public and riders”, “limiting the number of teams staying in each hotel” and “avoiding the use of the same pen by riders signing in at the beginning of race”, the Italian government had effectively banned the races in question.
Team Ineos have announced they are to withdraw from racing for the next few weeks following the sudden death on Tuesday of sporting director Nicolas Portal as well as the uncertain situation around coronavirus.
Portal died of a heart attack at his home in Andorra on Tuesday. He was 40. In a statement released on last night, the team said it would miss six races – Strade Bianche, Paris-nice, Tirreno-adriatico, Milan-san Remo, Nokere Koerse and Bredene Koksijde Classic – before returning at Volta a Catalunya on March 23.