As expected, the sports competitions are canceled or deported one after the other. Even more the day after the speech by President Emmanuel Macron, who announced the establishment of confinement in France. After the Euro football, postponed by a year and which will take place in the summer of 2021, after the Roland-Garros tournament, postponed from May to September, it is the turn of the traditional spring cycling races to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) announced in a press release that it has decided “not to organize Paris-Roubaix (April 12), the Flèche Wallonne and the Flèche Wallonne Femmes (April 22), Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Liège- Bastogne-Liège Women (April 26) ”. The Paris-Roubaix Challenge and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge cyclosportives are also postponed. Just a few days ago, the famous Paris-Nice race had been stopped a day earlier. The Italian classics have also been postponed. Same situation for the Tour of Flanders. Even if there was no longer too much suspense, the information was announced at the end of the day. The 104th edition of the event, which attracts “a million people on the roadside”, was to be held on April 5.
The Tour of Flanders postponed to a later date
Created in 1896, Paris-Roubaix has never been canceled except during the two world conflicts of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. ASO, “in close collaboration with the UCI and with the assistance of the communities concerned”, has already started working to try to postpone “these monuments of world cycling to which the teams, the riders and the public are deeply attached “Continues the press release. The task does not look simple.
The question arises for the Tour de France
This decision taken “as part of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus epidemic (COVID19)”, according to the press release, inevitably raises the question for the Tour de France whose departure is – still – scheduled for June 27, 2020 at Nice.
“It’s over a hundred days,” said Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France and cycling at Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) last weekend. You know, when people go back to normal activity, and we all hope that it will be as soon as possible, there will be a frenzy and a stronger urge than probably before. The situation has since changed…