After the Tour de France, star riders, including overall winners, typically celebrate in front of cheering crowds at post-Tour criteriums in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. However, with the Tour de France being postponed on ever-changing dates due to the coronavirus pandemic, the post-Tour criteriums are also, by definition, in uncertain land.

Organizers of Belgium's Criterium Aalst, which was scheduled to take place two days after the Tour de France ended, announced that the 85th edition would be canceled.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an extension of measures to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, banning public gatherings until at least mid-July. With the possibility that the Tour de France will not be held until August, organizers of the post-Tour criterium (Naturkriterium) face the difficulty of knowing when to hold their event.

"As previously anticipated, the Tour de France will not take place on the scheduled dates and therefore the Napoleon Sport & Casino Naturcritérium of Aalst cannot take place on Monday, July 20, as planned," the race announced on its Facebook page The race announced on its Facebook page.

"As there is currently no prospect of a new date for the Tour de France and there is no guarantee that the Naturcritérium can continue in the same form as in recent years, we have decided to postpone the Naturcritérium for one year.

"Health and wellbeing are of paramount importance at the moment and we hope to organize another beautiful event next year. We would also like to thank the City of Aalst, our main sponsor Napoleon Sports & Casino, and all of our other sponsors for their support from past competitions." We look forward to welcoming you all again next year, hopefully in better health.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the "Daags na de Tour" in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, have called off preparations, and Acht van Chaam said that changes in the program may be necessary, but he expects support from the local authorities, and the Roeselare Natourcriterium organizers are holding off until the Tour de France dates are finalized.

Thomas Verhaeghe, president of the organizing committee, told Sporza, "We are waiting for further developments and the decision of the ASO. If the Tour is changed to later this summer, we will consider the situation together with the sponsors and we will hold the criterium in Roselare. These are strange times."

Similarly, the third round of the Na-Tour Derny in Antwerp, won last year by cyclo-cross stars Mathieu van der Pol and Sanne Canto, is also on hold.

"First we will see what the National Security Council declares tomorrow. Only then can we see if we can continue with the post-Tour Derny criterium.