Tejay van Garderen has decided to leave Paris-Nice ahead of the race's fifth stage, according to a report in the French newspaper L'Equippe. Van Garderen's decision follows an announcement by President Trump limiting travel from Europe to the U.S.

The travel ban, which will be implemented Friday at midnight, does not apply to U.S. citizens and those with legal residency. Amidst the rapid spread of the coronavirus, new travel restrictions are implemented daily and often without warning.

Van Garderen lives in Basalt, Colorado when not competing in Europe. He has a wife and two young daughters.

After four stages, Van Garderen sat 68th in the general classification at Paris-Nice. As Paris-Nice moves into the mountains, Van Garderen's EF Education First teammate Sergio Higuita sits in fifth place overall, one minute and six seconds behind race leader Max Schachmann. 

The coronavirus epidemic was reclassified as a pandemic by the WHO on Wednesday. The rapid spread of the disease has forced the cancelation of numerous events, including the Italian spring classics Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo.