Lotto Soudal general manager John Lelangue spoke further to Belgian media about the men's World Tour team's recent decision to put 25 staff members temporarily out of work as the coronavirus crisis continues.

According to HLN.be, Lelangue told VTM News over the weekend that while the situation is unlikely to change in the next couple of months, the decision to give up some of their wages because of "extraordinary circumstances" is a "good signal" from the riders to other teams, sponsors, and fans.

"They are in a situation where they no longer have a job," Lelangue said of the staff, who are temporarily unemployed and will rely on benefits provided by the Belgian government to fill the gap until racing resumes.

"We know we won't be able to race for the next two months, maybe not even in June. 'We obviously hope that we can resume racing soon, but obviously we have to adapt to the situation. That's why we decided to make 25 people technically unemployed."

"It is a special situation for any sector. We also recognize that our sponsors are in a difficult situation because of the crisis and they too are taking steps. Of course, the riders will continue training until the season resumes, but we are working hard to show solidarity with our colleagues and sponsors."

The exact date of the race's resumption cannot yet be predicted, but it is possible that the Tour de France will be held on the scheduled dates of June 27-July 19 (although fans along the roadside and the start/finish may not be open to the public) or even later this summer.

"Hopefully we'll be at the Tour," said the team. But will it be at the same time, or a little later since the Olympics have been postponed? "The UCI has decided that the road season ends November 1, so if we could start over in June, we could add some of the Monuments (cycling's five major one-day races) to the calendar. I'm sure we could. That way we could get the job done and have some great results. But I haven't made any plans at the moment."