Milan - San Remo and Tirreno-Adriatico have been postponed

Race organisers say work is underway to allocate new dates for the races

Milan - San Remo 2019 (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
By Jonny Long
published

Milan - San Remo and Tirreno Adriatico have been postponed amid the developing coronavirus situation in Italy.

Race organisers released a statement on Friday morning (March 6) saying relevant authorities were unable to allow Tirreno-Adriatico to go ahead while continue to safeguard public health, with RCS Sport then taking the decision to cancel Milan - San Remo, as well as the Giro di Sicilia.

RCS Sport say they will now ask the UCI to allocate them with new dates in the cycling calendar when the races can take place. Trofeo Binda has already been given June 2 after the race, due to take place on March 22, was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak that Italian authorities are working to contain.

It has been rumoured organisers will look to reschedule Milan - San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico and Strade Bianche for around the time if Il Lombardia, the other Italian Monument that will take place on October 10.

RCS Sport's statement read: "As the appropriate authorities have verified that suitable conditions do not exist for them to be unable to guarantee the provisions of the DPCM (Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic) on March 4 2020, and to guarantee the safeguarding of public health and the safety of all the people involved, RCS Sport has made the decision to cancel Milan - San Remo, scheduled for March 21, and the Giro di Sicilia, scheduled for April 1-4.

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Milan - San Remo won't be going ahead for the first time since 1945, the last time a Monument was postponed.

The Settimana Coppi e Bartali, a 2.1 race that's part of the UCI Europe Tour and scheduled for March 29, has also been cancelled, meaning the next pro race in Italy will hopefully be the Tour of the Alps in late April.

Strade Bianche was the first of the three men's Italian races in March to be cancelled, 48 hours before riders were set to roll out of Siena for the one-day classic.

Organisers met with the mayor of Siena on Thursday morning (March 5) and confirmed it would not be able to meet the restrictions set out by the Italian government for holding a sporting event during the outbreak.

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Jonny Long

Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.

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