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Unexpected ways pro cyclists are occupying their time during quarantine

Baking, colouring, dancing and more

Jill Kintner
March 19, 2020
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By nature, pro cyclists spend a bulk of the year traveling. Their nomadic lives mean they were likely at a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 over the past few weeks, and as a result many are in quarantine or self-isolation. A number of cyclists are live in countries such as Spain and France where cycling outdoors is currently banned. Even those who are able to ride outside are taking precautions to minimize their risk of crashing, and following the worldwide recommended social-distancing protocols.

RELATED: France bans cycling, restricts running to 2 km from home

Needless to say, there has been a boom in indoor training. As enjoyable as spending all day on the trainer is, pro cyclists have to find other ways to occupy their time in quarantine as well.

NTT Pro Cycling’s Louis Meintjes is learning to cook

The South African cyclist baked buttermilk rusks. Rusk are a kind of South African treat, similar to a biscotti.

Elise Chabbey is working as a doctor

 

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The 26-year-old Bigla–Katusha rider recently graduated with her doctor of medicine and was supposed to race last week’s Strade Bianche. When all her races were cancelled, she decided to work at the Geneva University Hospital during the COVID-19 crisis. Chabbey has been looking after patients with and without the virus.

Oliver Naesen rode 365 km around Belgium

The AG2R La Mondiale cyclist averaged around 30km/h for the 12 hour ride. As the gran fondo world champion rode a nice circle around Ghent with friend Maxim Pirard. He managed to keep his heart rate solidly in zone 1 for the majority of the ride.

RELATED: Italian mountain biker gets creative with DIY rollers

Jill Kintner has been drawing

The professional mountain biker & Olympic BMX bronze medalist is offering a free downloadable colouring poster for you to relax and fill in the lines.

Nathan Haas is Zwifting and dancing

The Cofidis riders made headlines when he posted a video of the creative ways he was staying shape in the quarantined UAE hotel. Now back home, he’s been Tweeting about his experiences with Zwift and got creative with a trainer/zumba routine. Set to Pabllo Vittar’s underrated hit Flash Pose, he and his quarantined partner pose and spin.


RELATED: Watch: Quarantined Cofidis riders’ makeshift workout routine

Kate Courtney is sharing her intense circuit training

The American pro MTB racer has posted her MTB specific workout routines and they look hard.

Lucinda Brand is using oversized podium beers as a home gym weight

The Dutch road racer for Trek-Segafredo and cyclocross national champion found a use for her gigantic podium beers.

Thomas De Gendt is hosting the Tour de Quarantine for his kids

The Belgian Lotto Soudal racer brought us the most racing action we’ve seen in days. He posted a video from the point of view of his son Timo, as he raced around the house battling his sibling. The footage is cute and heartwarming.

Hugo Houle is figuring out how to set up his trainer

The Canadian Astana rider seemed positively stoked to receive his new Tacx trainer. We’ll check back with him in a few weeks and see if his relationship with indoor trainer rides has changed.