The Covid-19 got the better of the event. The World Road Cycling Championships, scheduled for September 20 to 27 at the Swiss site of Aigle-Martigny, have been canceled due to restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Wednesday.
But the International Cycling Union (UCI) reacted by indicating that it wishes to maintain the events and is working on "an alternative project" so that the 2020 edition of the Worlds "is held as a priority in Europe and on the dates initially planned".
Switzerland bans gatherings of more than 1,000 people
According to decisions taken by the Swiss federal authorities on Wednesday, large demonstrations "involving more than 1000 people" remain prohibited until September 30. "As a result, the organization of the World Championships is impossible, especially as more than 45 countries are subject to quarantine for entry into Switzerland […] which would not allow the event to be given the desired influence" , said the organizers in a statement.
Given these decisions, the organizing committee and the political authorities of the cantons concerned "unfortunately considered that the conditions were no longer met to organize the event", commented the UCI.
An enticing steep course
This edition, scheduled on a different site "but as demanding as that of Aigle-Martigny", "could include all or part of the races planned", added the UCI. The World Road Championships, which have eleven events on the program, were to bring together more than a thousand cyclists from 80 countries.
The elite men's race, scheduled for September 27, was announced as one of the most selective in history (249 km and 4040 m of vertical drop), with the Petite Forclaz hill in the final loop. Switzerland should thus have hosted the World Road Championships for the 12th time since their creation in 1921.