Shane Archbold understands the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic better than most.
The Kiwi cyclist, who rides for Belgian outfit Deceuninck – Quick Step, was forced into quarantine at an Abu Dhabi hotel after the UAE Tour was halted in late February due to two members of one ofthe teams on tour tested positive for the virus.
Two riders who tested positive for covid-19 afterwards were released from hospital just over two weeks ago and allowed to return home.
Archbold is now in isolation in Spain while the season is on hold. He says after realising how long the pair were kept in hospital, he is lucky it wasn't him.
"They were in hospital for pretty much five weeks, that's when I started counting the days and comparing when I'd left the UAE after my close-to 70-hour stint in lockdown, in a five-star hotel which at the time was a horrendous situation to be in, but now I'm starting to think it actually wasn't too bad. It was pretty cruisy there, room service getting delivered to us and a big flat screen TV and comfortable beds and robes to walk around in.
"I guess there's always someone else out there with a far worse situation than yourself."
Archbold says nobody had reliable information when he was in the UAE and they weren't told anything while in quarantine.
"We thought 'okay this is absolutely ridiculous, this doesn't happen in the current world we live in and you just can't hold 450-odd people in a hotel'," he says.
Adding to the situation, there were a number of bizarre occurrences while he was in quarantine, with guests still checking in and out of the hotel while those involved in the tour were stuck inside.
"They weren't giving us the information probably that we deserved or that they should've. But at the time they had to do what they did, because now it's clear that if the situation was as bad as it could've been then we could've been 450 people going out into the world and introducing coronavirus in a lot of areas that didn't currently have it and been a part of the spread.
"Now that it's been close to two months since the UAE, it's been a whirlwind few weeks that's for sure. Obviously I'm just trying to stay here in Spain now and keep my head down and out of trouble and stay within the apartment's four walls."
Archbold isn't the only Kiwi cyclist in lockdown in Spain. Sam Bewley, Jack Bauer and Dion Smith are based around Girona, while George Bennett and Tom Scully are just over two hours away in Andorra. Patrick Bevin managed to sneak back to New Zealand before lockdown was enforced.
Among the downsides of being locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic is the fact Archbold has no access to his barber.
Affectionately known as the 'Flying Mullet' due to his choice of hair style, Archbold hasn't had a trim since he won February's national championships in Cambridge.
"I was told by a very reliable source - my girlfriend - that it's looking horrific and starting to get very bad quality so to speak.
"It was suggested that I could put a bit of a DIY hair mask over it, but I declined the offer. I went and had a look in the mirror and it's looking pretty horrific, the old split ends are starting to take over. It's pretty sad times, but not much I can do about it in the current situation. The mullet will just have to hang tight and wait and see what happens."
When asked if he would let his partner take the clippers to clean up the situation, Archbold was non-committal.
"That's a big trust issue," he admits.
"We're quite far along in the relationship, but that's a big call to trust her with the mullet. She has given the top a trim up quite a few times, but the mullet's far out of her league.
