UCI releases new WorldTour calendar for 2020 season, including first ever women’s Paris-Roubaix

The UCI has released details of the new cycling calendar for the 2020, after the disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.

After dozens of races were cancelled and postponed because of the global pandemic, the governing body will now try to fit all major races into a tight schedule from August 1 until October 31.

Rescheduled races include all three Grand Tours, the men’s Monument Classics, and for the first time ever a women’s Paris-Roubaix.

UCI president David Lappartient said: “We have drawn up a solid, attractive and varied new calendar that is as realistic and coherent as possible. This has been achieved as early as was practicable and in line with information available today concerning the evolution of the pandemic. Riders, teams and organisers now have the dates they need to anticipate the resumption of racing on August 1.

“This is a very important step that the entire cycling community, financially impacted by the pandemic, has been waiting for to move forward.”

Racing is scheduled to restart with the men’s and women’s editions of Strade Bianche on August 1, followed by Milan-San Remo for the men on August 8 and then a shortened four-day edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné from August 12-16.

The Tour de France will be held in its already scheduled slot of August 29 to September 20, after its initial postponement, overlapping with Tirreno-Adriatico from September 7-14.

The Giro d’Italia would be held from October 3-25, clashing with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Amstel Gold Race and Ghent-Wevelgem, all taking place in October.

Spain’s three-week tour, the Vuelta a España, will be shorted from 21 to 18 stages and will overlap with the Giro, running from October 20 to November 8.

Women’s racing has also been through huge upheaval this year, but the UCI has now released plans for the new calendar, with La Course taking place on August 29 and the Giro Rosa scheduled for September 11-19.

By far the biggest news for the women’s calendar is the addition of Paris-Roubaix, scheduled for October 25 (the same day as the men’s race), which will be the first edition of the race for women in history .

The women’s season will then close out with the Madrid Challenge from November 6-8.

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Lappartient said: “The new calendar will preserve the exceptional character of the 2020 season, marked by the professionalisation of women’s road cycling with the introduction of UCI Women’s WorldTeams and new major measures such as a minimum salary for cyclists in these teams, live TV coverage of all events in the series and the integration of a women’s version of Paris-Roubaix, at the initiative of the UCI in collaboration with ASO.”

The UCI will also be introducing a number of rule changes alongside the new calendar – the number of riders in men’s WorldTour one-day squads can be educed to six, while women’s teams can field five riders in WorldTour events, allowing teams to spread their riders across the busy calendar.

Women’s WorldTour calendar 2020

-1 August: Strade Bianche (Italy)

-8 August: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden TTT (Sweden)

-9 August: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden RR (Sweden)

-13-16 August:  Ladies Tour of Norway (Norway)

-26 August: GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération Trophée WNT (France)

-29 August: La Course by Le Tour de France (France)

-1-6 September: Boels Ladies Tour (the Netherlands)

-11-19 September: Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile (Italy)

-30 September: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (Belgium)

-4 October: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (Belgium)

-10 October: Amstel Gold Race Ladies (the Netherlands)

-11 October: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)

-18 October : Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium)

-20 October: Tour of Guangxi Women’s WorldTour (China)

-20 October: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (Belgium)

-23-25 October: Tour of Chongming Island (China)

-25 October: Paris-Roubaix (France)

-6-8 November: Ceratizit Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta (Spain)

Men’s WorldTour calendar 2020

-1 August: Strade Bianche (Italy)

-5-9 August: Tour de Pologne (Poland)

-8 August: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)

-12-16 August: Critérium du Dauphiné (France)

-16 August: Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic (Great Britain)

-25 August: Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France (France)

-29 August -20 September : Tour de France (France)

-7-14 September: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)

-11 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)

-13 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)

-29 September -3 October: BinckBank Tour

-30 September: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)

-3-25 October: Giro d'Italia (Italy)

-4 October: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)

-10 October: Amstel Gold Race (the Netherlands)

-11 October: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)

-14 October: A Travers la Flandre (Belgium)

-15-20 October: Gree - Tour of Guangxi (China)

-18 October: Tour des Flandres (Belgium)

-20 October - 8 November: Vuelta Ciclista a España (Spain)

-21 October: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (Belgium)

-25 October: Paris-Roubaix (France)

-31 October: Il Lombardia (Italy)