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JERUSALEM (VN) – Guillaume Boivin admitted he felt a little odd as he got closer to his teammates and staff during the Israel Start-Up Nation preseason training camp which took place is open Saturday.

At the team’s first reunion before the 2022 season, there were some familiar faces and newcomers catching up after a few weeks without a bike.

One thing was drastically different – no one wore face masks. Neither in the team bubble, nor elsewhere in the hotel, nor in the busy streets of Jerusalem.

It’s almost like COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen crowds like that,” said Boivin. VeloNews. “You’re not sure at first because you used to be very careful over the past couple of years. I guess this is the start of the return to normal.

Runners and staff gather for the first major team camp since the start of the pandemic

Back to normal – that’s what everyone in professional cycling is hoping for in 2022.

The raging global pandemic finally seems to be slowing down following an international vaccination campaign. In some countries like Israel or Spain, vaccination rates are over 80% and a third round of booster shots is already underway.

This allows governments to ease restrictions that have kept professional cyclists behind masks, sequestered in “COVID bubbles” and kept fans at bay since the coronavirus explosion in the spring of 2020.

“It’s like we’ve woken up from a two-year nightmare,” said James Piccoli VeloNews. “It’s been a long time – two seasons, probably over 100 PCR tests. Two before each race, some during and some at home. It’s been endless PCR testing. At my local clinic, they all know us. I no longer need to hand over my passport. They know who I am.

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More than 70 riders and staff, including four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, arrived in Jerusalem on Friday evening for a 10-day preseason camp which is the team’s first official visit to Israel since before. the start of the pandemic.

As Israel begins its third round of recalls, the Israeli government opened the border this month to international tourism for the first time since 2020.

The requirements are still strict – visitors must prove a full vaccination, then a negative PCR test before traveling and on arrival – but the constantly improving situation allows the team to organize a team camp in a near reality. pre-pandemic.

“I almost forgot about COVID. We’re out, we’ve had a practice lap and it’s almost like normal life again, ”said Piccoli. “I know Israel was one of the first vaccine adapters, so it’s nice to come here and almost feel like it’s normal.

A sign of better things for 2022?

The camp is the latest sign that things may turn into a new reality for the peloton in 2022.

The UCI and the main racing organizations are making plans for the appearance of the next season. Teams and riders hope the endless series of PCR tests can be relaxed with near-universal vaccinations across the peloton.

Media and fans alike are hopeful that social distancing and the “racing bubbles” that kept runners behind barrier walls will finally be shattered.

On Saturday, the runners completed an easy-paced two-hour ride through the hills west of Jerusalem that included a coffee stop at a hilltop cafe.

Residents were notified via social media that the team was coming, and the parking lot was crowded with cycling fans, motorcyclists, hikers and day trippers.

Fans cheered and asked for photos as the riders rode. Froome patiently posed for photos and signed autographs for dozens of fans.

The runners relaxed at the picnic tables then posed for a group photo before walking away.

Acting so naturally seemed almost unnatural after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions.

“At first you are not really sure. You think, “well, that’s kind of a big crowd,” Boivin said. “I haven’t been in a big crowd like this for a few years. At the same time, it’s nice to see and talk to people.

Just to be sure, Froome and other runners cleaned their hands with hand sanitizer after shaking hands.

Cycling may be at the end of the COVID tunnel, but it’s not quite over yet.