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Effects of coronavirus on professional races

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Right because the fans who can stand for free at the roadside bring in the money for cycling bodies.

Because fans from other countries travel there and pay to stay at hotels and eat at restaurants. All things currently closed over there. We are talking about local economies not cycling. The local economies need money coming in. So is the ASO going to be PAYING all the host cities to be host cities?
 
Anything that happens will be governed by health officials who will make the final decision. Many public health experts have been massively wrong with their predictions going in both directions.


We have some major evidence of mass gatherings being a bit problem. See Mardi Gras and two funerals in Georgia being major spreading areas for this virus.

I do agree that health officials will have a huge say over competent governments.
 
Because fans from other countries travel there and pay to stay at hotels and eat at restaurants. All things currently closed over there. We are talking about local economies not cycling. The local economies need money coming in. So is the ASO going to be PAYING all the host cities to be host cities?

While the Vuelta might not bring much income during the race, it could still happen later on. People watching the race on television, deciding that they want to go there, and books the holiday. In fact, local authorities could even use this as an opportunity; show people that Spain can be quite nice in November too. Maybe even focus on some Christmasey stuff as well, things that are unique for November.
 
While the Vuelta might not bring much income during the race, it could still happen later on. People watching the race on television, deciding that they want to go there, and books the holiday. In fact, local authorities could even use this as an opportunity; show people that Spain can be quite nice in November too. Maybe even focus on some Christmasey stuff as well, things that are unique for November.


Middle of fall is the heart of sports season. If cycling takes place then ALL stadiums will be back. Stadium sports can have a bubble created to play in. Then you have the issue of mountain stages being cancelled, because they will be. Then you have the time change issue along with much shorter daylight hours so there's not enough daylight to even race full stages to begin with. By the time TV picks up coverage it'll be dark. Then you have the big problem of backlash from date change. That is of course assuming any sport can even take place by then and that is exceptionally unlikely. What Chirstmasy stuff in November? You don't do anything with Christmas until the very last weekend of November if not into December.
 
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Then you have the issue of mountain stages being cancelled, because they will be.

You simply know for a fact that it will be snowing?
As for daylight hours, I thought the thing about southern places like Spain was that there isn't the same flunctuations in daylight hours as further north.

Actually, I just googled it, and:

Sunrise and sunset by month (Madrid)
MonthSunriseSunset
November08:00 am05:58 pm

So, it'll be tight, but still doable.
 
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You simply know for a fact that it will be snowing?
As for daylight hours, I thought the thing about southern places like Spain was that there isn't the same flunctuations in daylight hours as further north.


Oh no, they are north of where I live in North Carolina and we have major changes in the number of daylight hours. November, December, and January are the shortest day light hours of the year. The farther north the less daylight there is.
 
Sunset is more like 5:30pm in Nov instead of 8pm in Sept.

It's more likely Guillen is being told you have to hold it in Nov and doesn't matter if it's actually possible. Also cold temperatures to the point that riders will be getting hypothermia on most stages.

We've got more and more medical professionals flat out saying no large groups of people until either a vaccine or herd immunity and we're a very long way off from herd immunity.
 
Sunset is more like 5:30pm in Nov instead of 8pm in Sept.

It's more likely Guillen is being told you have to hold it in Nov and doesn't matter if it's actually possible. Also cold temperatures to the point that riders will be getting hypothermia on most stages.

No, riders will not get hypothermia on most stages! Jesus, where do you think the riders train in the winter months? Oh right; Spain!

And why are you lecturing us that November, December and January are the months where the days are shortest, do you think we're a bunch of 4-year-olds?
 
No, riders will not get hypothermia on most stages! Jesus, where do you think the riders train in the winter months? Oh right; Spain!

And why are you lecturing us that November, December and January are the months where the days are shortest, do you think we're a bunch of 4-year-olds?

I said it makes it more difficult to hold the stages due to shorter daylight hours.

If they are racing the Giro in Oct that means they are going to have to move the Italian fall races because they can't have those simultaneously with the Giro. So they will need to move all of those races to Nov. Because it's fine to race in Spain in Nov then it must be just fine to race in Italy then as well. Oh and put the cobbled classics in December because obviously we can race those in the snow because no mountains to worry about being impassible.

Obviously cold and shorter house cannot be a problem anywhere.

Yes I really hope at this point ALL the rest of the season is cancelled.
 
Giro in october is very risky, there is a potential for bad weather towards the end of the race (conveniently the most important and also the highest re altitude). Bolzano isn't the best example bc it has a very different climate to higher up but it's the fitst mountain town I found data for, october temps are more than five degrees lower than in May, and considering it is late May vs Late October, that's more like 7 or so. Bonus is there won't be much snow to clear.

It may well snow in addition to overall miserable weather, which certainly could be a health hazard to the riders in a 3 week race, since even under better conditions that's a lot of stress on the body.

They could be lucky and it's a warm, dry autumn, but who knows... I want races to happen, any races really, but I'm not sure I like the idea of an october Giro. At least make it a 10-day-race or something instead, that would make the organisation more predictable.
 
No, riders will not get hypothermia on most stages! Jesus, where do you think the riders train in the winter months? Oh right; Spain!

And why are you lecturing us that November, December and January are the months where the days are shortest, do you think we're a bunch of 4-year-olds?
There's a significant difference in weather conditions between the regions of Spain that riders use for winter training (most of them close to the Mediterranean sea) and the regions of the Vuelta route. Tourmalet and Angliru in November anyone?
 
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The best option is cancel everything and HOPE there is a vaccine early next year.

For new dates both the Giro and Vuelta will require changes to the routes. As for Italy I'm not entirely sure the northern part of the country will be in any shape anytime in the semi near future to host anything at all.
 
If they are racing the Giro in Oct that means they are going to have to move the Italian fall races because they can't have those simultaneously with the Giro. So they will need to move all of those races to Nov. Because it's fine to race in Spain in Nov then it must be just fine to race in Italy then as well. Oh and put the cobbled classics in December because obviously we can race those in the snow because no mountains to worry about being impassible.

By being sarcastic, you're finally making sense.

Why do you hope everything gets cancelled? We need things to return to an approximation of normal, and I would have thought that all of us here liked cycling. You, of course, only like cycling when it's +25 degrees because otherwise, Valverde is cold, and can't win.

Oh, and which month is it that they ride the first Belgian spring classic? February. And which month is normally the coldest in Europe? February.

So yes, they could easily be ridden in December if they had to!
 
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Why do you hope everything gets cancelled? We need things to return to an approximation of normal,

Yes, but only when things are approximating "normal" again. An october Giro or a november Vuelta is not *** normal. Most people put their bicycles in the cellar by that time of the year.

I'm with Koronin on this. Forcing the races through in that way could do more harm than good.
 
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By being sarcastic, you're finally making sense.

Why do you hope everything gets cancelled? We need things to return to an approximation of normal, and I would have thought that all of us here liked cycling. You, of course, only like cycling when it's +25 degrees because otherwise, Valverde is cold, and can't win.

Oh, and which month is it that they ride the first Belgian spring classic? February. And which month is normally the coldest in Europe? February.

So yes, they could easily be ridden in December if they had to!


I personally HATE the cold. There is a reason I moved south as soon as I graduated college and will never move to where it's cold for any length of time again.

We aren't going to have any kind of approximation of normal until we get a vaccine. That just isn't going to happen. Racing in Nov is not normal. Racing 3 GTs back to back to back is NOT normal. The GTs will all be joke by doing this. Sorry, but the NBA figuring out how to play all play off games in one arena to finish their season in July has more of a semblance of sense than this does.

Then do we tell the teams they have no off season at all and that the new season starts 1 week after the old season ends. Plus it's highly, highly likely to have a UAE Tour situation happen again only with more severe consequences.

Then obviously there can't be new kits and hopefully all the teams have contracts with all existing equipment and clothing manufactures for another year since they won't have time to change anything. All I see are problems, after problems, after problems with what they are trying to do. Oh and what happens when someone gets hurts from a crash? The hospitals all have Covid cases so go there and you expose the riders to the virus.


This whole thing is just a very, very, very bad idea.

Cancelling it now is a much better idea.
 
I see you're winding up, and I'm sure next response will include a lot of big-letter words, so I just think we should stop here.

Maybe our differences of opinion (apart from the coldness arguments, which I continue to perceive as nonsense) stem from the fact that things are going very, very well in Denmark where I live, and then it's hard for me to believe that things won't soon settle down in other countries as well with all the measures taken.
 
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I see you're winding up, and I'm sure next response will include a lot of big-letter words, so I just think we should stop here.

Maybe our differences of opinion (apart from the coldness arguments, which I continue to perceive as nonsense) stem from the fact that things are going very, very well in Denmark where I live, and then it's hard for me to believe that things won't soon settle down in other countries as well with all the measures taken.

As I said I hate the cold. I grew up with snow on the ground for 5 months out of the year, so I know what cold and snow are. I learned to drive in the snow. I moved south because I hate the cold. My Governor said today no mass gatherings until there is a vaccine and that means sporting events cannot have any fans at them at all. I also don't think a pro cycling event would be allowed due to the number of people involved with the peloton, not just the athletes but all the support people is just too many. Although our current "lock down" ends at the end of April, it's highly likely (to almost guaranteed) that will be extended. Partly because we still have no real testing.
 
I hate the heat! I'm not saying people can't race when it's over 25 degrees Celsius.
And now you're talking about what's happening in the US again, what's happening in the US has nothing to do with racing in Europe.


Except that somehow the US didn't manage to overwhelm our hospital systems yet while Italy definitely overwhelmed theirs and parts of Spain also overwhelmed theirs. Haven't seen as many reports from France. The fact we are having more and more people saying no mass gatherings without a vaccine, that can't be that different to what ends up happening in Europe. Health people are looking at the same science. I have no idea how restless people over there are getting, but so far we've had protests in 3 states wanting states opened back up so people can go back to work. This includes 1 state in which there is a current massive outbreak going on.
 
I see you're winding up, and I'm sure next response will include a lot of big-letter words, so I just think we should stop here.

Maybe our differences of opinion (apart from the coldness arguments, which I continue to perceive as nonsense) stem from the fact that things are going very, very well in Denmark where I live, and then it's hard for me to believe that things won't soon settle down in other countries as well with all the measures taken.

I suppose the way the national media and people around you are talking has a lot of influence on our opinions about these things.
In Germany, although the hospitals are not exactly overwhelmed so far, even smaller cultural events have already been cancelled until the end of august. Teachers do not seem to expect schools to open fully again until september. That certainly has impacted my view, so that I have a hard time imagining many things to take place. But of course the situation may change totally.
 

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