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Paris -Roubaix 2020 canceled

I understood that the cancellation is because of regional restrictions so I am not sure why sports competitions in less affected areas being allowed to continue would be hypocritical.
Dude, PSG, Marseille and Lille are three major football clubs in the Ligue 1, all from hot-spot areas. If there are 'regional restrictions' covering all sports, they'd not be allowed to play and then the whole competition would have to stop. Which does not happen because football = money.

It's because football can be played in tightly controlled environment. You can't add the same security or constraints when the "pitch" is 250km long.
Yeah... that's why there are new covid-cases almost every day in almost any European football competition...
 
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Yeah... that's why there are new covid-cases almost every day in almost any European football competition...

Yes but it's within the playerbase, not within the fanbase. Nobody has a problem with professional cyclists in a controlled environment catching covid either ( beyond withdrawals if a portion of a team tests positive but you have non-fixtures like Juve and Napoli in football too). It's clearly a decision based on the public not on the professionals.
 
Yes but it's within the playerbase, not within the fanbase. Nobody has a problem with professional cyclists in a controlled environment catching covid either ( beyond withdrawals if a portion of a team tests positive but you have non-fixtures like Juve and Napoli in football too). It's clearly a decision based on the public not on the professionals.

Have you seen the supporters of Marseille partying in bars and streets in recent weeks? I'm quite certain that the risk of infection for the few cycling-enthusiasts along the course (if people are told not to come watch the race, like is done for several current races) is insignificant compared to that. Hence, it is pretty hypocritical to allow football matches to go ahead while cancelling one-day cycling races.
 
Yes but it's within the playerbase, not within the fanbase. Nobody has a problem with professional cyclists in a controlled environment catching covid either ( beyond withdrawals if a portion of a team tests positive but you have non-fixtures like Juve and Napoli in football too). It's clearly a decision based on the public not on the professionals.

Yeah... if only it was possible to be absolutely sure that people would just stay away. But I guess not; there will always be people who just can't understand that you don't actually have to stand by the road-side, pissed-drunk, to watch cycling.
 
Have you seen the supporters of Marseille partying in bars and streets in recent weeks? I'm quite certain that the risk of infection for the few cycling-enthusiasts along the course (if people are told not to come watch the race, like is done for several current races) is insignificant compared to that. Hence, it is pretty hypocritical to allow football matches to go ahead while cancelling one-day cycling races.
I don't think there's much point comparing football with Paris-Roubaix. One is the national sport, which is a main form of entertainment for many of millions of people, both nationally and internationally. It also has a huge economic impact, with hundreds of millions of euros in taxes paid by clubs and players. All backed by massive TV and sponsorship deals.

The other is a relatively fringe race in the global scheme of things, which not many people care about. It generates very little revenue aside from an increase in visitors to the immediate area (which would be negated without fans).

It's inevitable that the two things will be treated very differently.
 
Huh? I'd have thought that next after the Tour, P-R would be the biggest yearly bike race in France, and the biggest in that area.
Well yes, but it's still just a bike race, which is a pretty fringe event compared with the football season. Add in the complications of hosting it on open roads rather than closed stadiums, and it's obviously going to be treated very differently.
 

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