The cycling World Cups in Switzerland canceled due to the coronavirus

The Road cycling world championships, scheduled for September 20-27 in the Swiss towns of Aigle-Martigny, were canceled due to restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Wednesday.

But the International Cycling Union (UCI) reacted by indicating their desire to keep the tests and works on “an alternative project” so that the 2020 edition of the World Cups “be played, if possible in Europe and on the dates initially scheduled.”

According to the decision of the Swiss federal authorities made public this Wednesday, large demonstrations “involving more than 1,000 people” are prohibited until September 30. “For this reason, the organization of the World Cups becomes impossible, and even more so when 45 countries are under quarantine to enter Switzerland,” the organizers said in a statement.

As a result of these decisions, the organizing committee and the political authorities of the affected cantons “unfortunately considered that the conditions were not met to organize the event,” commented the UCI. This edition programmed in a different venue “but as demanding as Aigle-Martigny” could include “all or part of the planned races,” added the UCI.

Hard hit

«It is a hard blow for cycling. We are talking about a World Cup, also in Switzerland, at the gates of France, with a route that was good for our riders ”, the president of the French Cycling Federation, Michel Callot, lamented in statements to AFP.

The World Championships en route, which have eleven events in the program, were going to gather more than 1,000 cyclists from 80 countries. The elite men’s race, scheduled for September 27, was announced as one of the most selective in history (249 kilometers, 4,040 meters of elevation gain). Switzerland would have hosted cycling World Cups for the twelfth time in its history.

Now the UCI thinks about where could host the event so that this year the coveted rainbow jersey will be awarded. “The final decision will be taken at the latest on 1 September,” said UCI President David Lappartient.

His organization is now launching a real race against time to save the World Cups in another venue. “The UCI works on several tracks: Holland, Italy, Austria and France, but above all Austria,” a source close to the instance told AFP. “Finding a host place is very difficult in such a short time,” said Michel Callot, without ruling out that his country, France, will host the World Cup.