The Colombian cyclists have landed in Madrid
Bernal, Quintana et al will join team training bubbles without two-week quarantine
Photo by:
Oran Kelly
A planeload of Colombian athletes and coaches containing the aces of the professional peloton landed in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday night after a ten-hour flight. Back in May Colombia declared a travel ban until August 31 to contain the COVID-19 virus running rampant in the country, but a special arrangement called for a charter flight from Bogota.
After COVID-19 tests, the 185 athletes and coaches followed strict hygiene protocols. The passengers washed their hands more than once heading through the controls at the El Dorado Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento International Airport and all wore masks for the duration of the flight.
The athletes are following a strict protocol for the flight from Colombia to Spain. They will not be quarantined in Europe. Nairo Quintana in video. https://t.co/tnEteWbOTn
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) July 19, 2020
The Colombian riders do not have to quarantine for two weeks; they can now join their respective team bubbles throughout Europe and begin to train with teammates.
On the Avianca flight were Egan Bernal, Nairo Quintana, Angel Lopez, Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Higuita of EF Pro Cycling and Esteban Chaves. Also aboard were BMX’s Olympic champion Mariana Pajón Londoño, soccer and tennis players and a judo pro.
Bernal, Quintana, Uran, Higuita and Chaves are all expected to race in the Tour de France from August 29 to September 20. The first round of the revised WorldTour’s restart is Strade Bianche in twelve days.
