coronavirus,

Richie Porte cannot see how the Olympics or Tour de France will be able to go ahead amid the current coronavirus chaos. Locked down in the European epicentre of the pandemic, Australia's top cyclist believes the unprecedented situation will ultimately determine the course of action. "Personally, I don't think we've seen the worst of it in France and I don't think the government will leave anything to chance just for a bike race," he said. "At the end of the day it's just sport. It's hardly a debate when people are losing their lives." ELSEWHERE IN SPORT: With cycling banned across much of central Europe, the 35-year-old Tasmanian is restricted to riding on a trainer at his apartment in Monaco and watching the escalating crisis in neighbouring France and Italy. "I can see Italy from my couch and normally there are cars coming and going all the time but right now there is absolutely nothing. Everything is shut down. "Apparently there are 10 cases of coronavirus in Monaco but even Prince Albert and one of the government ministers have tested positive. "You can still leave your apartment to go to a supermarket or pharmacy or even a tobacco store - you can still get your smokes. You are allowed to go for a jog but not a ride. "In France if you are going out you need papers to say you have an essential job. I have a teammate just along the coast in Nice who went out to get some bread on his bike and was stopped and fined. You can walk places, but not ride. "You would never dream this could happen in your lifetime." Training rides would frequently take Porte through three countries and while he admitted it was difficult to lose that freedom he can understand the restrictions. "Everybody is seeing this virus getting worse and worse," Porte said. "In Europe, most people know someone who is not well so the impact is sinking in." The Rio Olympian and nine-time Tour de France competitor said he was relieved to get back to wife Gemma and their son Luca in Monaco after the aborted Paris-Nice stage race and missing the relative safety of their home in Launceston. Porte had won the week-long race in 2013 and '15 but this year's edition was cancelled with the final stage in Nice remaining. "It's all a bit scary. I'm on the other side of the world and I'm here to ride my bike but it's hard when you're stuck inside. You miss it more than you think you would. It's the job, but I do enjoy it. For now I'm stuck here and riding on a home trainer on the terrace does feel a bit like torture. "The worst thing is no-one knows when it's going to end. The rumour is 45 days in quarantine, and we're five days in. Constantly being in limbo is a bit stressful. "This is normally one of the busiest times of the year for cycling. I was supposed to be starting the Tour of Catalunya in Spain this week." Porte had been in top form this year, winning the Tour Down Under before another podium at Haut Var in France. "We may start racing again in May or June but none of us would have ridden our bikes for six weeks. "The Tour is three months from now - the Grand Depart was moved forward to fit in the Olympics straight afterwards. But at this point no-one really knows if they will go ahead. "Quality time with Gemma and Luca is the silver lining. It's nice family time and we've been able to find a routine to get us through this for however long it may take." We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.

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