Tom Dumoulin of Jumbo Visma suggested earlier this week that the cycling calendar has been moved forward a full month, and could stay that way indefinitely, as the 2020 season is increasingly likely to be extended into November.

"I think all seasons should be brought forward a month," Dumoulin told Sporza.be. 'The weather in Belgium and the Netherlands in mid-November is often still great, and in mid-February it can still snow.'

The Dutch rider declined to suggest that the Spring Classic become a permanent "Fall Classic" (likely to happen this year as a temporary measure), but Dumoulin suggested that riders could benefit from a later start next season because of the slower finish this year He suggested that riders might benefit from a later start next season because of this year's late finish.

"If we extend this season through November, we could start a month later in 2021 and do so in the future," he said.

However, Jan Bakelants, a professional athlete with Belgium's Circus Wantigovert and Dumoulin's 2019 Sunweb teammate, told Sporza on Thursday that he was not at all comfortable with such a proposal.

"The Ardennes Classic in particular is currently coinciding with allergy season, which I also suffer from, but there is little I can do about it. Tom suffers from allergies during that season as well, so perhaps there is a hidden agenda behind his proposal," Bakelants joked.

"It will be interesting to see what happens with the monuments that are held later in the fall (Milan - San Remo, Tour de Flanders, Paris - Roubaix, Liège - Bastogne - Liège). Some athletes suffer from allergies in the spring, while others don't reach their peak until later in the year."

Regarding the differences between the seasons and their weather, Bakelants admits that. "In Belgium we often have rain in late February and early March, but it can be very dry in late March and early April.

"But if you move the season forward a month," he suggested, "you could have rain in October.

Israel Start-Up Nation sports director Dirk Demol, a retired Belgian professional, was far less diplomatic when asked about the idea of a calendar change.

"I am not in favor of moving the season a month earlier," said the 1988 Paris-Roubaix winner. While it is true that early season weather is often bad, it is good that the Classics are held in "Flemish weather." Some riders still like the rain, the wind and the cold."