Despite the economic uncertainty that has been spreading throughout the pro cycling community due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Arkea Samsic has announced contract extensions for two of its riders, Elie Gesbert and Thibaut Gernarek.

In a statement on Monday, the pro-continental team confirmed that Breton's Gesbert and Gernarek will be with the company until the end of the 2022 season.

The 24-year-old Gesbert, who has competed in the Tour de France in each of the past three seasons, suffered a fractured kneecap in February's Challenge Mallorca, putting his 2020 campaign on hold early.

"It is a sign of great trust from him and the entire Arkea Samsic team that Emmanuel Hubert, the coach of Arkea Samsic, has signed a two-year contract extension," Gesbert said.

"I'm injured and the fact that I have a contract for 2021 and 2022 is a great morale booster.

Gesbert made headlines in 2018 when, in his second Tour, Gianni Moscon punched him on stage 15 and was banned from the race. A solid climber, the Saint-Brieuc native finished fourth overall in last season's Tour de l'Ain and fifth in the inaugural Mont Ventoux-Denivelle Challenge.

The 22-year-old Gernarek turned pro in 2018 and finished fourth overall at the Vuelta a Murcia, but the race was interrupted in March by a coronavirus outbreak. 'Now I can relax and keep working,' he said of his contract extension. I'm going to be able to relax at the end of the season."

The UCI confirmed last week that all racing will be suspended until at least July 1 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The postponed Tour de France has been rescheduled from August 29 to September 20, pending the lifting of restrictions on public and sporting events in France due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this case, the Giro d'Italia would be held in October and the Vuelta a España in November.

Arkea Samsic director Emmanuel Hubert last week welcomed the news that ASO plans to host the Tour de France despite the coronavirus outbreak. His team signed Nairo Quintana in the off-season, and the Colombian opened his 2020 campaign on a bright note by winning the Tour de la Provence, Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var, and the Paris-Nice summit finish at La Colmiane The race was a perfect start to the 2020 campaign.

"In the interest of perfect sporting fairness, I hope that all countries will be free from the blockade at the same time," Hubert told L'Équipe (open in new tab) last week. 'I have players on my team who are currently abroad, Colombians, Italians, and others who are confined to their own countries.'

The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has already hit the pro peloton, with several teams cutting salaries and laying off support staff due to reduced revenue from sponsors.

That uncertainty is expected to lead to a slowdown in activity on the cycling transfer market, but Arkea Samsic is not the only team to announce contract extensions in recent days; Tuttobici (opens in new tab) reported Sunday that Romanian Eduardo Gross has signed a contract that will keep him at Nippo-Delco-One Provence until 2021, the report said.