While several of the men's World Tour teams have already announced payroll cuts and staff reductions, women's teams at the same level have so far been spared the financial burden of the coronavirus and lack of racing. [Last week, UNIO President Ronnie Lauke expressed concern that in the coming weeks and months, several leading women's teams will be forced to cease operations or downsize, resulting in no racing for the foreseeable future.

However, Tiffany Cromwell, a member of the Canyon SRAM team, believes that women's cycling can survive because costs are low and the members of the women's peloton are skilled at attracting sponsor interest.

"It's a tricky situation right now for the whole world. No one knows what will happen, and every day there is a different scenario," Cromwell told Cycling News from Northern Finland, where she is currently based. [But] women's cycling has grown organically. So we can still inspire and promote our partners and sponsors. We still have a voice and we are not going away. We just have to be smart and use that voice how we can. The question is whether the funding is still there and whether the governments that support the race will still be in it."

While the men's teams struggle with costs, they are also less agile than the women's World Tour teams. For example, long before the current rush to race on online platforms, Canyon SRAM was ahead of the curve with its own Zwift Academy.

"We are more open-minded. Our team in particular has always sought to be different and engaging since our inception. We wanted to be more accessible and it wasn't always all about results. We have always thought outside the box and how we can promote our team and sponsors differently. We can be more creative.

The harsh reality, however, is that e-racing has yet to fill the void left by races like this weekend's Tour de Flanders. Women's cycling has certainly grown over the past few years, but that growth has been a series of struggles and challenges. Cromwell believes that some of that progress may be delayed or set back by the current climate.

"Maybe some of the progress outlined for women's cycling, like the minimum, will be delayed because I don't think teams can afford to increase their budgets in the current state.

"The biggest problem is not that women's teams are standing still. But in terms of the progress that women's cycling has had in the sport, it is going to lag a bit.

"It's not so much the teams that will suffer immediately, but the sponsors. They may have the budget for this year, but next year and the year after may be different. In the future, companies will be much more hesitant to invest money in things, especially sports."

"I want teams to have something in reserve and to look at the bigger picture because it will eventually pick up again. eSports is growing and eRacing is getting more and more riders who were hesitant before to participate. But of course, these are tricky times for everyone.