Cycling: The corona virus continues to make the headlines. Today several team doctors have asked for the cancellation of upcoming races. In addition, first teams withdrew their participation. Meanwhile, three teams are still in quarantine in the United Arab Emirates.
Team doctors ask for the cancellation of the races
Following the cancellation of the UAE Tour last week, the cycling race calendar is now in danger of spiraling out of control. According to the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, 13 team doctors from professional teams have requested in an open letter that the upcoming races in Italy be canceled. The letter states: "This would be the most responsible intervention for the riders, but also for public health." However, the UCI, the RCS, and the ASO have not yet responded. A cancellation of the races could, however, be enforced by the Italian government, as RCS President Mauro Vegni has reiterated.
RCS boss Mauro Vegni:
“As we indicated earlier in the week we want the races to go ahead. But I fear for her. The information that comes to us is clear. The results of the scientific committee leave little room for maneuver. If the government follows the recommendations, we will be forced to cancel all three races.”
Mitchelton - Scott, Jumbo - Visma & EF do not want to start
While the organizers and the government are still discussing how to deal with the latest developments, the first teams have already made their decision. The EF team asked yesterday not to have to start in upcoming WorldTour races. The Dutch team Jumbo – Visma went one step further. In the afternoon it was announced that they would not go to the Strade Bianche. Even more extreme is the decision of the Australian team Mitchelton - Scott. Neither the women's nor the men's team will contest any races in the next two and a half weeks. Of course, the teams are primarily concerned with safety. Another point should also be that there are still three teams stuck in quarantine in the United Arab Emirates - and of course all teams want to avoid such a case.
STATEMENT: Mitchelton-SCOTT position regarding COVID-19.
Following extensive discussions, we have made the decision to withdraw our teams from the next period of racing, regardless of the individual government regulations in place.
More details 👇 https://t.co/nV8lbx0eG4
— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) March 4, 2020