Tour de France moved to September after coronavirus postponement
:focal(167x134:169x132)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/04/12/3041129-62378324-310-310.png)
Updated 15/04/2020 at 18:07 GMT
The new dates for the 2020 Tour de France have been confirmed, after the race was forced to be postponed due to coronavirus restrictions.
Winner Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) of Colombia, Second Placed Geraint Thomas (Team INEOS) of Great Britain and third placed Dutch Steven Kruijswijk (Team Jumbo-Visma) of The Netherlands celebrate during trophy ceremony on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris
Image credit: Getty Images
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that all public events with large crowds would be cancelled in France until at least mid-July, forcing Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO, the organisers of the Tour) into discussions over a new date for the race.
And it was confirmed on Wednesday that there will be no World Tour racing until August 1, with the Tour de France now due to start on August 29, running through until September 20.
Despite being moved, the race will stick with the original route, lasting for the full three weeks.
In their statement announcing the news, the UCI said:
Holding this event in the best conditions possible is judged essential given its central place in cycling’s economy and its exposure, in particular for the teams that benefit on this occasion from unparalleled visibility.
Cycling's Road World Championships will remain in place, starting on September 20, the same day as the final stage of the Tour de France.
A number of other key scheduling issues were raised, including:
- The Giro d'Italia will take place after the UCI Worlds, meaning late September start date at the earliest. No confirmation of race dates or any route changes have yet been made.
- La Vuelta will be held after the Giro. No confirmation of race dates or any route changes have yet been made.
- The National Road Races will take pace on the weekend of August 22-23.
- All of the Monuments will still be held in 2020. No new dates have yet been made.
In a statement, UCI President David Lappartient said: "I would like to pay tribute to the representatives of the organisers, teams and riders for their collaboration and their commitment in these difficult times.
We still have work to do to finalise the establishment of an entirely revised 2020 UCI International Calendar given the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world, but a first very important step has been taken today. Likewise, we have established a framework that will allow the fundamental rights of teams’ riders and staff to be preserved, while enabling the measures necessary for the survival of these teams to be taken.
"Together, we will manage to get through this crisis and rebuild cycling post-Covid-19.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement