Although it is still unclear when, or indeed if, the race will take place, the Giro d'Italia remains a goal for Remco Evenpoel, despite the uncertainty in the cycling calendar caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 Giro was scheduled to begin on May 9 in Budapest, but RCS Sport announced last week that the race had been postponed.

After a conference call with race organizers on Tuesday, UCI president David Lapartient said the redesigned Giro could be rescheduled for the fall. Meanwhile, a report in Cyclingopinions.nl suggested that the postponed Giro could start on May 29. Later on Tuesday, the UCI announced that "no decision has been made on the reallocation of dates and formats" for the races postponed due to the Covid 19 epidemic.

Evenpoel, who was scheduled to make his Grand Tour debut at the Giro before turning his attention to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will have his calendar completely rewritten, the 20-year-old said in a Facebook conversation with Sporza (opens in new tab), said that, at least for now, he is continuing to train as if the Giro will be held before the Olympics.

"We'll have to wait and see, but I'm trying to prepare as good as possible," Evenpoel said.

Asked about the unfounded prospect of the Giro being held in June instead of May, the Dečuninck-Quick Step rider replied: "The time between the end of the Giro and the Olympics is shorter. I haven't talked to the team yet, but we will stick to the plan and see how the recovery period before Tokyo goes."

"The Giro is my goal and I will work hard for it. Once the new dates are set, I will adjust my plans accordingly. And then we'll see where we end up."

While Italian and Spanish professionals have refrained from or banned training on the road, Belgian riders can still train outdoors for the time being. I've been training intensively for the last few days," said Everett. Today three hours was enough," Evenpoel said, adding that he is unsure how long he will be away from racing, but that his motivation is not in question.

"This season I have already won five races. Other riders haven't won anything yet or their contracts have expired. I just love cycling and that's my motivation."

Evenpoel, who started the season with a stage win and overall victory at the Vuelta a San Juan, also won two stages and the overall at the Volta ao Algarve.