The Tour de Suisse has announced that it will not be held in 2020.

This is due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, for which Switzerland has closed all public and private events, closed restaurants, and restricted entry.

In contrast to many other World Tour races, where organizers have announced their intention to reschedule at a later date, the Tour de Suisse has been cancelled entirely for 2020. The race was originally scheduled to run from June 7-14.

Switzerland has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with 19,106 infected and 565 dead as of Friday morning. [Oliver Sen, Co-Managing Director of the Tour de Suisse, said, "It is with a heavy heart that we have taken this decision due to the Corona pandemic. However, we are confident that it is the best solution to provide certainty and ensure the safety of our participants, fans and partners"

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"It is also an important step for the Tour de Suisse to continue the event in the future. I would like to thank all sponsors, host cities, suppliers and staff for their extraordinary support and solidarity"

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A statement released by the race organizers (opens in new tab) outlines the many factors that led to the decision, including the uncertainty that made planning the event impossible, the lack of assurance that riders would be ready for the race, and the additional strain on medical services that the race would create.

The statement also notes that due to the inability to obtain sponsorship or sell hospitality packages at this stage, holding the race on an alternate date in 2020 would also result in financial losses, and further delaying the decision would increase costs.

It was decided that the race would be held in 2021 "with little change from this year's event plans."

Organizers will instead run Digital Switzerland 5, a virtual race series that will run from April 22-26. The series will take place on the Rouvy app, and already 17 World Tour and professional teams, as well as the Swiss National Team, have announced their participation. Depending on the success of the event, a Digital Tour of Switzerland, held on the same dates as the World Tour races, would also be possible.

Earlier this week, the UCI suspended all races until June 1, and the ASO announced that the Criterium du Dauphiné, another major stage race that month, would be postponed. 23]

As for the July Tour de France, race director Christian Prudhomme said that a late July or August date was being considered, adding that the race would not be held behind closed doors

and that the Tour de France would not be held until June.

Since the Tour de France is a race vital to the survival of many WorldTour teams, it is likely to be postponed until a time when life in France and across Europe returns to some degree of normalcy.

On Thursday, after a conference call of UCI officials, La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested that the Tour de France could be held between July 25 and August 16. It would be followed by the Vuelta a España and then the Giro d'Italia in October.

It was reported last week that the ASO has set May 15 as the deadline for deciding on an initial date and that the UCI will hold stakeholder meetings every two weeks.