Confirmed: Paris-Roubaix 2020 postponed
Flèche Wallone, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de Yorkshire have also been cancelled
Peter Sagan wins the 2018 Paris-Roubaix (Photo: Yuzuru SUNADA)
The 2020 edition of Paris-Roubaix has officially been postponed.
Organisers have also confirmed that Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de Yorkshire have also been cancelled.
Iconic cobbled Monument Paris-Roubaix will not be held in its usual April slot because of the spread of coronavirus, the race organiser has confirmed, with a new date being sought.
ASO, which runs Paris-Roubaix and a host of other prestigious races including the Tour de France, announced on Tuesday (March 17) that the 'Queen of the Classics' will not be held on the scheduled date of April 12.
A statement from the organiser said: "As part of the fight against the spread of Coronavirus (COVID19), Amaury Sport Organisation, with the agreement of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has decided to not organise Paris-Roubaix (April 12) on its scheduled date."
Roubaix is the latest race to be called off because of the global spread of Covid-19, which has had a major impact on the cycling calendar.
Dozens of races have been called off after the UCI announced it would be suspending it's international calendar as part of measures to help contain the virus, which has infected 190,000 people worldwide and caused 7,000 deaths.
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A further statement from ASO said: "As part of the fight against the spread of Coronavirus (COVID19), Amaury Sport Organisation, with the agreement of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has decided to not organise Paris-Roubaix (April 12), the Flèche Wallonne and the Flèche Wallonne Women (April 22) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Women (April 26) races on their scheduled dates.
"In close collaboration with the UCI and with the assistance of the other parties concerned, the organisers have already begun working to try to organise new dates for these monuments, races to which teams, riders and spectators are deeply attached. The cyclosportives Paris-Roubaix Challenge and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Challenge will also be postponed."
The Tour de Yorkshire was scheduled to run over four stages from April 30 to May 3.
Peter Box CBE, Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “The race is a great spectacle, but we all know that the health and well-being of everyone across the region, and the country, is frankly more important than a sporting event. Our attention now turns to supporting those tourism businesses across the region, many still reeling from the floods, during this unprecedented crisis.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.