The Tour de Bretagne has become the latest race to be canceled due to the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The week-long French race was not scheduled to take place until April 25, but organizers announced Thursday that this year's race in the 2.2 category will not take place.

More than 2,200 covid-19s have been recorded in France, and restrictions have been placed on public gatherings. Paris-Nice was held again this week, but spectators were kept away from both the start and finish line.

"Since 1967, the Tour de Bretagne has been synonymous with a festive week of cycling in the towns and villages of Brittany, where everyone is welcome and willing to participate. Without this collective enthusiasm, the Tour de Bretagne would have no raison d'etre," the race organizers said in a statement.

"We are aware that, given the current state of health, the conditions necessary to successfully organize the event are not being met. Therefore, the Tour de Bretagne Organizing Committee is very sorry for its decision to cancel the 54th edition of the race, which was scheduled to take place from April 25 to May 1, 2020, but we will do so responsibly."

The cancellation of the event, which was almost six weeks away, raises further questions about the viability of the French and Europe-wide race calendar in the coming months. On Wednesday, Christian Prudhomme insisted that despite the Covid 19 pandemic, Paris-Nice would be held as usual.

Belgian race organizers such as the Flanders Classic and the E3 Binckbank Classic are still hoping to hold the event, but with the possibility of cancellation in mind.

In Italy, all races have been suspended due to severe restrictions on public gatherings and sporting activities; RCS Sport has already had to postpone Milan-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico, Strade Bianche, and Giro di Sicilia, and UCI President David Lapartiento, the president of the UCI, admitted that the Giro d'Italia was in jeopardy.

"I don't even want to think about such a situation," Giro race director Mauro Veni told Sporza this week. The damage would be incalculable."

Christophe Fossani and the Tour de Bretagne organizing committee explained the difficulties of holding a bicycle race amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Their statement noted that medical and police resources will likely be focused solely on containing the spread of Covid-19 in the coming weeks.

"There is no guarantee that riders, the public, and the entire caravan will receive the security forces and medical service support necessary to ensure the smooth running of the event in complete safety, given the evolving situation.

"Under the circumstances, it was irresponsible to wait until the last moment to make this decision or to make such a decision.

The 54th edition of the Tour de Bretagne will instead take place in 2021 on the same dates (April 25 to May 1), with the same route starting in Le Camboux and finishing in Dinant.

Lorenzo Manzan won last year's race ahead of Fabien Rienhar and Nils Eekhoff.