UCI extends suspension of racing until June 1
The UCI has extended its suspension of races to June 1 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The UCI had initially called off all racing on until at last April 3 on March 15, a decision that came after most major races in that time frame had already been cancelled or postponed. On Wednesday, the UCI met with stakeholders across the road cycling world and then announced an extension of the suspension period by nearly two months.
The new timeframe includes several races that had not yet been called off, most notably the Critérium du Dauphiné, which was set to start on May 31. As such, the race has been postponed, with organizers saying in a statement that they “have decided to begin working to reschedule the race.”
The weeklong stage race thus joins a long list of top-tier road cycling events now in discussions with the UCI on what a rescheduled calendar might look like.
The UCI says it “is working on a framework for the future UCI International Road Calendar, based on its exchanges with the stakeholders and giving priority to the three Grands Tours and cycling’s Monuments.”
At the same time, the governing body also announced the creation of a working group to address the challenges facing riders and teams. A few weeks into lockdowns and with no way to earn revenue from race appearances, several teams are already in dire straits, with some laying off staff or cutting pay.
The working group will be “composed of representatives of our Federation, the CPA, and the AIGCP, which will come up with concrete initiatives concerning notably the riders’ contracts and the situation of the teams in the context of the current inactivity linked to the pandemic.”
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