Changes in upcoming cycling events due to COVID-19 pandemic

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the entire sports industry. After many months of sporting inactivity, and sometimes of lockdown, the coronavirus situation of some countries is getting better, which leads us to consider a little by little return to competitions with important adjustments which affect on the one hand the terms of organizing the event, and on the other hand the medical monitoring of the athletes.

The resumption of events must take into account the health risks related to sporting competitions. This is why the organization of competitions must be accompanied by specific operational and medical measures which are set out in the various protocols implemented by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

However there are still many competitions which are going to be cancelled or postoponed.

The organizers of the Spanish category 2 cycling race Pro Vuelta a Andalucia (Tour of Andalusia) Ruta Ciclista Del Sol have confirmed that they are going to postpone the race  to May. 

Vuelta Andalusia organizer Joaquin Cuevas told: –

“In fact, we are postponing the bike race due to the current Covid-19 situation and what we expect to see in the next two to three weeks. This means that the start on February 17 was in question. So we decided to postpone the Vuelta Andalusia until May 24-28 and sent a request to the UCI. We are waiting for confirmation of the new date. “

The organizers of the French four-day cycling race “Circuit Cycliste Sarthe – Pays de la Loire”, which was to be held from 6 to 9 April, also announced the cancellation of the race, which will not take place this year, and the next edition will take place in 2022.

There are some good news on the table as well. The upcoming competition – 2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships is going to take place from 30 to 31 January 2021 in Ostend, Belgium as planned. However, it will take place without any spectators as a measure against the coronavirus pandemic.

The defending women’s and men’s world champions – Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Dutch compatriot Mathieu van der Poel – are expected to line up in Ostend for the elite races.

“No one could have predicted a year ago that we would be organising these World Championships without any spectators, but that is the only right decision,” said Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein.

“Ostend will be the backdrop for a titanic battle in cyclo-cross. We had promised that at the presentation of the event last year, and that remains the case,” he said

The Flemish Minister of Tourism, Zuhal Demir, commented on that: “The cyclo-cross World Championships happening in Ostend was the ideal time to introduce cycling fans from all over the world to all the beauty, sights and delicacies that Flanders has to offer.

“But even without spectators, we’ll invest as much in our reputation as a cycling country as we can so that after this lockdown we can then welcome back those thousands of supporters to the cradle of cycling that is Flanders,” she said.