Deceuninck-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefebvre said he has difficulty understanding how all the postponed races can be pushed into the remaining months of the 2020 season once the coronavirus outbreak is over.

The Belgian Cycling Federation announced Wednesday that it will extend the country's racing season until the end of October. This is in line with an announcement last week by the UCI, the world governing body, that it will extend its season until November 1, but the UCI also announced at the same time that no races will take place until the end of April at the earliest.

"I don't think we can fit the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the Classics into just a few months, but it's great that the season has been extended," Lefevere told Het Laatste Nieuws. There are still many questions: will all the Grand Tours still last three weeks?" Can the Ardennes Classics be held before the World Championships now that the Olympics have been canceled? Can the Flanders Classics be held after the World Championships if the riders do not compete in the World Championships?

Regarding the three Grand Tours, which usually last three weeks, former UCI president Brian Cookson suggested to Cycling News on Wednesday that one solution would be to hold the Giro, Tour and Vuelta for only two weeks each, starting with the Tour in late July or August.

"I'm an optimist, but I don't think they can justify holding the Tour de France. 'What about the fans? Who gets into France and who doesn't? Are they really going to pack people into hotels, because I don't think someone is going to wave a magic wand in early July and suddenly the coronavirus crisis will be solved. So let us act sensibly."

French Sports Minister Roxana Marassineanou suggested Wednesday that the Tour de France could be held behind closed doors.

Lefebvre told HLN.be how the race closure affected him and his Deceuninck-QuickStep team.

"We decided to pay everyone until the end of March anyway. We need to see exactly how long the race will be suspended and make some decisions in the coming months," he said. Of course, there are areas where we can save money, like fuel and hotel costs, but on the other hand we have very little income. It has already cost us 500,000 euros."