The French professional riders' union UNCP has asked its members to allow outdoor training again from mid-April, when France's current blockade period will be reviewed.

As in many European countries, French professional riders are currently unable to train on the streets due to measures implemented to control the spread of the coronavirus.

A two-week blockade was put in place in France on March 17 and extended for another two weeks. On TF1 TV on Thursday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the ongoing lockdown could be extended beyond April 15.

Meanwhile, the UNCP has asked the French Ministry of Sport to take into account the training needs of professional riders when the government begins easing some of the lockdown measures.

"Of course, I am thinking above all about the bereaved families, caregivers, and the sick, but at the same time I have to think about the associations that have to pick themselves up from what could be a catastrophe," UNCP President Pascal Chanture told Ouest France ( (Open in new tab). [But in the last few days we have heard the Minister of Agriculture saying that we need to help the people working in the fields. He also said that if the construction companies would respect the sanitary instructions, they could resume work. I am saying that we are also workers and we have a profession."

Chanterelle and the UNCP have asked that professional riders be granted exemptions from roadside training once the second two-week blockade ends on April 15.

"We want riders to be able to return to work after the end of the second two-week blockade, that is, starting April 15, with an exemption and a certificate from their employer," Shantur said. 'Because cyclists should also be able to start working again, as long as they fully adhere to health measures and physical distance.'

In France, more than 82,000 cases and 6,500 deaths have been confirmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 6,600 people are currently being treated in intensive care units.

Sustained pressure on the health care system is the most compelling argument against allowing professional on-the-road training, as cyclists who have accidents and need treatment would place an additional burden on accident and emergency wards.

"But there are 400 workplace accidents a day in the construction industry, compared to four to seven a year for professional cyclists.

"And the danger is probably even less, given the current low level of traffic."

The French Cycling Federation (FFC) co-signed the UNCP letter, and President Michel Caro described the move as "above all a path of reflection."

Rather than focusing specifically on April 15, Carot requested that professional athletes be allowed to begin training once the French government began easing its confinement measures against the Covid 19 epidemic.

"This lifting of the quarantine will not happen in one fell swoop," Carot told Ouest France. 'Therefore, our position is to ask that all professional riders be allowed to resume training from the start of the deconfinement. Of course, they would start training alone, perhaps in a specially designated area. Personally, I was thinking, for example, of a military camp or a motor racing circuit."

On Wednesday, the UCI confirmed that all cycling races are now suspended until June 1; the Criterium du Dauphiné, scheduled for May 31-June 7, has been postponed and the Tour de Suisse (June 7-14) has been cancelled entirely.

The Tour de France will continue to run from June 27 to July 19, but UCI Vice President Renato Di Rocco suggested that July 1, July 15, or August 1 be considered as start dates for the post-coronavirus calendar.