The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the sporting calendar as events are postponed or cancelled to try to slow the spread.
Since Paris-Nice was brought to a finish one day earlier than planned on March 14, cycling has effectively shut down with every race on the WorldTour calendar up to the Criterium du Dauphine, still scheduled for May 31, postponed or cancelled.
Here the PA news agency looks at the impact on the sport.
Which races have been cancelled?
It’s a shame that the #UAETour has been cancelled but public health must come first. We are all awaiting testing and will remain at the hotel until further notice. I hope those affected make a speedy recovery and there aren’t any further cases #coronavirus
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) February 27, 2020
Cycling got one of the more dramatic introductions to the coronavirus outbreak when the final two stages of the UAE Tour were cancelled in late February, with Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish among 600 riders, staff, and journalists put into lockdown in Abu Dhabi due to two suspected cases of the virus at the race. Away from the road, the UCI has announced it is drawing a line under qualification for both the BMX and mountain bike events at the Tokyo Olympics, cancelling the remaining events scheduled for the spring.
Which races have been postponed?
RCS Sport 2020 #Giro d’Italia date postponed >>> https://t.co/oh3EiLkE2t | @rcssport posticipa la data del #Giro d’Italia 2020 >>> https://t.co/5PXcHbpXWd pic.twitter.com/G0Q0hhdOGo
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) March 13, 2020
For now, the bulk of road races have been postponed, though it is almost impossible to see how so many races could be rescheduled this season. The Giro d’Italia, due to start in Budapest on May 9, is on hold, as are four of the five Monuments, cycling’s biggest one-day races, as Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege have all been postponed so far. New dates are also being sought for the Tour de Yorkshire and the Women’s Tour among others.
What might be next to go?
Is anything like to remain?
Cornwall ➡ Devon ➡ Cumbria ➡ Aberdeenshire…
This year’s Tour of Britain ?? route is taking shape nicely!#TourOfBritain
— Tour of Britain ?? (@TourofBritain) January 14, 2020
Beyond the Tour the next major events left on the schedule – besides the Olympic races – are the Vuelta a Espana, starting on August 16 in Utrecht, and the UCI Road World Championships, due to start on September 20 in Aigle-Martigny, Switzerland. The Tour of Britain is scheduled to begin in Cornwall on September 6, but it remains to be seen how much more of the calendar will be lost or disrupted.
Where does the sport go from here?
