The Belgian Cycling Federation has decided to extend the road season until October 31 to accommodate races postponed this spring due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the mayor of Kruisbergen, the town where the important climb of the Tour de Flanders, the Oude Quaremont, is located, said that the chances of a normal He said it is infinitely unlikely that the race will be held.

Mayor Philippe Willeke told Sporza.be (opens in new tab), "Nobody has a crystal ball. Let's first see how the virus evolves and then, if necessary, allow other things to happen step by step. But I think this season, and this year's rondo, is over. I don't think it will go on like this."

The Tour of Flanders was scheduled to take place on April 5, 2020, but was postponed last week as the coronavirus spread throughout Europe. The death toll in Belgium has risen to 178, with more than 4,000 cases.

If the pandemic is contained this summer, the Belgian federation will add a road season date in October and reorganize the race, but Wilke said it would probably not be possible to host the Tour of Flanders this year, which is held every year.

"It is impossible to hold the Ronde in October. If it were to continue, it would not be the same competition as before. Speaking of the Tour de Flanders, it would require months of preparation. The organization, the police, the signalmen, all of them are perfectly prepared.

"It is quite difficult to set a date for this competition with only a few months of preparation. Even if it were ultimately possible, it would not be in its current form. I think the chances are low, if not zero."

The Belgian Cycling Federation and Cycling Flanders have jointly decided to extend the calendar in the hope that some of the classics can be held in the fall; organizers of races that were scheduled to take place before April 30 have been asked if they would like another date in the calendar after July 1 They were asked, but the races already scheduled for the dates would take precedence.

For races scheduled to take place in May and not yet cancelled, organizers will be informed by April 3 whether they are available. The Federation has already decided to change the dates of the junior and U23 time trial for the Belgian Championships from May 1 to July 12, and the U23 women's time trial will be moved to the date of the elite and professional race on June 18 in Koksijde to avoid conflicts with the BeNe Ladies Tour date in Koksijde to avoid conflicts with the BeNe Ladies Tour.

Conflicts with existing races will greatly limit the rescheduling of major races when European countries resume normal operations this summer.

The UCI and the Belgian Federation have agreed that existing events will be held on their original dates, races such as the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Ghent-Wevelgem, Scheldeprijs, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Flèche Wallonne will compete for dates between the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the World Championships.

Wilke said it was inevitable that the Tour de Flanders would not take place due to the corona virus, and that April 5 would be an unusually quiet day. He said, "We have a special connection with cycling events. We feel especially bad for the cycling enthusiasts and organizers. They put in a lot of time, money, and effort.

"More people eat out on De Ronde day than there are residents of Kruisbergen, not to mention the many hikers who come along with sports enthusiasts and cyclists on bikes. It's a great high day for Kruisbergen and the surrounding area that has disappeared."