As the world of sport went to sleep with the coronavirus crisis, the International Cycling Union announced strong measures to in turn fight the spread of Covid-19. The most awaited of them concerns the calendar of events. The UCI asked the organizers to cancel all the events in the territories identified at risk by the World Health Organization until April 3.
However, the organizers did not wait for the recommendations of the organization that oversees cycling before making any decisions. Those responsible for the Tour of Flanders, scheduled for April 5, could announce the postponement or cancellation of the race on Monday. Paris-Roubaix, which is due to take place on April 12 in the North, should also fall by the wayside. The other classic, Gand-Wevelgem, scheduled for March 29 in Belgium, has been postponed to a later date.
The Tour of Italy, which was to start from Budapest on May 9, is postponed to an unknown date. Nothing has yet been decided for the Tour de France which does not, in any case, fall within the scope of the UCI press release. The Great Loop will take place from June 27, 2020 to July 19.
Frozen rankings
The International Cycling Union has also indicated that the classifications, all disciplines combined concerning the events on the UCI international calendar, will be frozen. Finally, the organization asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to suspend the qualification period for the Tokyo Games.
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