Following Wednesday's announcement by the UCI, the governing body of cycling, and race organizer ASO that the Tour de France has been changed from August 29 to September 20, CCC team leader Greg Van Avermaet expressed his satisfaction with the target race date He expressed his satisfaction with the new date.

"It's good to have a date that we can probably start. It depends on how the virus develops, so it could still change, but I think it's really important for us riders to have the big race dates in mind. [Mentally, I think that's the most important thing, and also for the sponsors, they can see the end [of the non-racing period] and know when they can start riding again. So this helps us on both fronts," said the Belgian rider.

The UCI also announced that national championships for most countries have been set for the August 22-23 weekend.

However, the Belgian Security Council announced Wednesday that it had canceled all sporting events, large public gatherings, and major summer festivals through August 31.

Meanwhile, the UCI Road World Championships will retain its original dates of September 20-27, which coincide with the end of the Tour de France, with the men's elite time trial scheduled for September 20, but the road race will not take place until September 27. Meanwhile, new dates for the Vuelta a España, the Giro d'Italia, and cycling's one-day monuments have not yet been revealed, but all will likely be held after the World Championships.

"Hopefully, it's going to be busy," Van Avermaert said of the August-September period. There are a lot of important races coming up: the All-Japan Championships, the Tour de France, and the World Championships."

"Then the Monument is coming up. So for me, one-day races will be really important. A big Grand Tour leg will lead to a strong performance in the one-day classics. So for me, I want to keep going and see how far I can go in the race," said the Classics specialist.

The newly proposed Tour de France schedule means that the race is still far off, but Van Avermaat believes it will be advantageous for the riders as it means they will have time to rest before the race resumes in order to build up to full fitness for when the race

"It is possible.

"I need to talk to my trainer to make sure I go into the race in the best way possible. I have a little pain in my knee, so I'll take a week off. It's good to recover. I was thinking of continuing my training until the Paris-Roubaix weekend (originally scheduled for April 12) and then recovering a bit."

"I think it will take me a few weeks to really get to a competitive level, but now that I know when the race starts, I don't have to train so much anymore and can build up to some smaller races and then the Tour de France.