Effects of coronavirus on professional races

[pastronef]

talks of Giro and Vuelta stages reductions

it´s quite easy. Giro and Vuelta won´t start with 3 stages abroad, so they´ll have 18 stages and could start on the Tuesday of stage 4. that´s doable. during that Giro cancelled Hungarian starting weekend you can have other races. like the cancelled Dutch depart weekend for Vuelta: won´t overlap with Giro and free space for other races too.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm just gonna trust that the people in charge know what they're doing.

So, I've seen some rumours that Vlaanderen could be October 11. Of course that's just one day after the (planned) date for Lombardia, but since it's rarely the same riders who focuses on both races, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[pastronef]

I'm just gonna trust that the people in charge know what they're doing.

So, I've seen some rumours that Vlaanderen could be October 11. Of course that's just one day after the (planned) date for Lombardia, but since it's rarely the same riders who focuses on both races, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

AUG-SEP-OCT Italian calendar proposal

https://www.twitter.com/laflammerouge16/status/1250735805569683458

 

[Berflamand]

Here you go about what someone mentioned earlier that Flanders can't be raced until after August. Here's an article about Belgian cancelling all sports events through the end of August.

Belgian road championships at risk as country cancels sporting events through August 31

Security council calls off all summer public gatherings

www.cyclingnews.com

That is not (yet) entirely true. Sports events are not (again yet) cancelled in Belgium through the end of August.

Yesterday they said that mass events will be cancelled through the end of August but they didn't specify what was meant with mass events. They targeted mostly the annual festivals which brings tens of thousands of people together in Belgium.

In the coming weeks they should evaluate and specify which events, including sports events like cycling, could still be organised safely with limited crowds. This should be clear before the 3th of May.

 

[Ranagazoo]

It's easy to forget that 3 months ago Wuhan was still a week away from lockdown and a high percentage of people outside China knew nothing about the virus. A lot has changed in 3 months.

The new Tour dates are 4 and a half months away. Again, a lot can change.

I also don't understand the problem with racing without fans roadside. I imagine stadium sports will be finishing their seasons behind closed doors, so why not cycling? I hear people say 'better to cancel it completely than hold it behind closed doors'. No it's not!

 

[BlueRoads]

I also don't understand the problem with racing without fans roadside. I imagine stadium sports will be finishing their seasons behind closed doors, so why not cycling? I hear people say 'better to cancel it completely than hold it behind closed doors'. No it's not!

No, me neither.... but I guess that's because I don't fully get the "live" effect in cycling in general... I find it rather... disappointing to watch live and will watch most of the races on TV anyway...
But, putting my personal preferences aside, I think for the sponsors it is the most important thing that the tour is shown on TV.
For the riders of course it's way more fun when they see people standing on the roadside and people at home like to see real fans jumping and clapping, I understand that, but I don't know if cycling can afford the luxury of saying "ah, no, not good enough".

 

[Koronin]

That is not (yet) entirely true. Sports events are not (again yet) cancelled in Belgium through the end of August.

Yesterday they said that mass events will be cancelled through the end of August but they didn't specify what was meant with mass events. They targeted mostly the annual festivals which brings tens of thousands of people together in Belgium.

In the coming weeks they should evaluate and specify which events, including sports events like cycling, could still be organised safely with limited crowds. This should be clear before the 3th of May.

The National Champions are cancelled due to sponsors pulling out. Crowds will have to be zero. What's being said over here is sports with zero crowds MIGHT be able to continue with several other things in place including major testing capacity.

In Spain one of the amateur races that takes place in August was just cancelled. Vuelta Ciclista a Navarra is the one. The reason given is not having appropriate conditions. Yes it's not a pro race, but it's a race that takes place in August.

 

[Brullnux]

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.

The smaller Italian races will be cancelled. Priority is the biggest races on the calendar, for obvious reasons. Hopefully the economic blow for this races won't be too much.

 

[Black Betsy]

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.

Perhaps they could ride them on mountain bikes!

 

[Pantani_lives]

Possible dates for the monuments:

11 October: RvV
18 October: PR
31 October: Lombardia
8 October: LBL

MS and SB maybe early October?

 

[Northerner]

We can't all sit inside for 18 months or however long it takes to develop a vaccine, assuming that actually happens. At some point most of the economy will have to be restarted. Sport behind closed doors shouldn't be particularly hard to restart, and might help morale a bit.

Pro cycling is in a bit of a tricky spot though. A multi-national peloton living in close proximity for three weeks, spending every night in different hotels across France sounds like a public health nightmare at the moment. And after that some of them would go to Italy or Spain and spend a week or three there with another hundred riders? And if someone catches the virus in the second week is the race cancelled, or does the winner get an asterisk next to their name forever?

 

[Pantani_lives]

Possible dates according to Het Nieuwsblad:

9 August: MS
16 August: PR
11 October: RvV
18 October: LBL
31 October: Lombardia

Given the circumstances this looks like an attractive solution, with no monuments during the Tour. It remains doubtful however whether those dates in August won't be too early for Italy and France...

 

[Mayomaniac]

Possible dates according to Het Nieuwsblad:

9 August: MS
16 August: PR
11 October: RvV
18 October: LBL
31 October: Lombardia

Given the circumstances this looks like an attractive solution, with no monuments during the Tour. It remains doubtful however whether those dates in August won't be too early for Italy and France...

I'd rather see the first 2 at the end of the season with lower temperatures and maybe some rain. For those 2 bad weather and low 2 temperatures are much less of a problem.
The Giro durning October is a bit problematic, you'd have to switch the first and the final week. Bad weather, snowfall and even ice on the road can be a much bigger problem for the Stelvio and Agnello stages in late October than in late May.

 

[Jagartrott]

There's a really poor opinion piece on the cyclingnews main page, but in the comments section there almost everybody is seeming to rate it top notch. Do these people hate cycling? And science?

 

[Sciatic]

Possible dates according to Het Nieuwsblad:

9 August: MS
16 August: PR
11 October: RvV
18 October: LBL
31 October: Lombardia

Given the circumstances this looks like an attractive solution, with no monuments during the Tour. It remains doubtful however whether those dates in August won't be too early for Italy and France...

That schedule would be really frustrating for the cobbles specialists to have RVV and PR two months apart rather than 1 week apart!! Though perhaps it would open the door for a possible RVV-LBL double?

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Still trying to find out if this will be live:

Giro d'Italia latest news, photos and videos

Discover the latest news of the Giro d'Italia on participants, teams and much more of the new 2020 edition and see the photos and videos of the famous race.

www.giroditalia.it

 

[42x16ss]

Possible dates according to Het Nieuwsblad:

9 August: MS
16 August: PR
11 October: RvV
18 October: LBL
31 October: Lombardia

Given the circumstances this looks like an attractive solution, with no monuments during the Tour. It remains doubtful however whether those dates in August won't be too early for Italy and France...

Gilbert would be thinking all his Christmas' have come at once if that schedule is confirmed.

 

[Koronin]

Valverde has now said he doesn't believe they will race again this year. He also said the only way you can attempt to hold la Vuelta in Nov is to rework the entire race to southern Spain.

Alejandro Valverde: "Veo muy negro que este año podamos correr"

Al otro lado del teléfono, la voz de Alejandro Valverde transmite hastío e incertidumbre. Desde su encierro en Murcia percibe que la temporada podría darse por perdida,

www.elmundo.es

 

[RedheadDane]

Huh? I kinda assumed temperatures in (all of) Spain could easily be at two-diggits (Celsius).

 

[IndianCyclist]

Considering that the new cases are in thousands/day in every country, the disease will mostly become endemic. Herd immunity will take too long a time and only thing is to wait for cure/ vaccine. In the meantime, lockdown measures are only partially successful and there is no way the measures can be sustained more than 3 months. Any large scale event will trigger subsequent waves. The only cycling i see this year is local cycling with no travel between countries.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

There's a really poor opinion piece on the cyclingnews main page, but in the comments section there almost everybody is seeming to rate it top notch. Do these people hate cycling? And science?

This is the "Too many questions around the 2020 TdF" opinion piece, right? I know it's a quote in the article, the "New Tour de France dates 'a slap in the face' for Tour of Britain" seems a bit much, too. I don't understand any of it.

 

[yaco]

I'm of the view that if you have no cycling in 2020 or for that fact a range of other sports, I doubt very much you will receive a major bullet and be riding at the 2021 TDU - You could even write off a large part if not all of that season - Ultimately professional sport is WORK, so at some stage you need to reopen society.

 

[Velolover2]

Anybody up for a "Super October"?

Oct 1: Amstel
Oct 4: FW
Oct 8: Liege
Oct 12: GW
Oct 16: Ronde
Oct 20: Roubaix
Oct: 24: Strade
Oct 27: Lombardia
Oct 31: Sanremo

#Strivefor9, PhilGil?

 

[Velolover2]

Jumping around between the Belgian and Italian races would make no sense on such a tight calendar. Too much unnecessary travel.

Sanremo and Lombardy should be scheduled close to each other. Same with Ronde and Liege.

 

[KZD]

Anybody up for a "Super October"?

Oct 1: Amstel
Oct 4: FW
Oct 8: Liege
Oct 12: GW
Oct 16: Ronde
Oct 20: Roubaix
Oct: 24: Strade
Oct 27: Lombardia
Oct 31: Sanremo

#Strivefor9, PhilGil?

It would be a great October month (although I think that there could have been another pave race before Ronde, like E3, and then swapping GW with Ronde to give more time to rest before Roubaix.

However the main reason why I think this plan won't go forward is because there will be almost surely, a mandatory 14 day quaratine for new arrivals in countries plus with much less flights the travel from Belgium to Italy could take days.