Three days after the announcement of strong measures faced with the development of the coronavirus and after a meeting organised yesterday with representatives of the families of professional road cycling – AIOCC (organisers), AIGCP (teams) and CPA (riders) – the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) can confirm the principles unanimously agreed by the participants in the aim of anticipating the resumption of the 2020 cycling season in the context of the coronavirus.
Firstly, the UCI indicates that, faced with the accelerated spread of the virus, and in consultation with all stakeholders, no events on the UCI International Road Calendar will be held until further notice but as least until the end of April.
Looking to the resumption of the cycling season, priority will be given:
With this decision, cycling wishes to be able to guarantee the visibility of our sport, which will find itself in competition with other major international sports events, while ensuring the best possible exposure for the most-viewed races.
Moreover, the UCI would like to make clear that the men and women’s road season may be extended until 1 November 2020.
The principle of flexibility could also be envisaged when it comes to the number of cyclists entered by teams at events.
These decisions will be submitted to the UCI Management Committee and the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) for approval.
Finally, the UCI proposed that cycling’s stakeholders hold regular meetings to better anticipate the resumption when the time comes.
For disciplines other than road, the UCI will make a detailed announcement at a later date.
The UCI would like to thank stakeholders for their cooperative spirit which has enabled our sport to rapidly come to an agreement on the fundamental principles that will shape the revision of the calendar. As world cycling’s governing body, the UCI continues to call for the solidarity of everyone in our sport’s community: athletes, teams, organisers, partners, media, volunteers and the public.
In the context of the current health crisis, the UCI and its partners continue to meet regularly to take the necessary decisions in the interests of cycling, while respecting the measures adopted by competent authorities in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.