Organizers of the Tour of Flanders said they are preparing for "different scenarios" following the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Europe. [Of course we are concerned. Thomas van den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classic, told VTM (opens in new tab).

"There are no government guidelines for the event yet. We are waiting for it and are in close contact with the government. We can take precautions ourselves, though. They range from hand gels to setting safety parameters."

There have been 314 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Belgium so far, and while the government announced new measures on Tuesday to prevent the spread of the virus, it has yet to set restrictions on outdoor gatherings. [Many races across Europe have already been postponed due to restrictions on large gatherings, including Italy's Milan-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Strade Bianche, France's Tour de Normandie, and Portugal's Lusan Mountain Bike World Cup.

Paris-Nice will be held this week, and spectator access will be restricted at the start and finish of the stage. Athletes competing in Paris-Nice are concerned that the following races, including the Flanders Classics, will not be held.

"When you look at what is happening in Italy, the concern is understandable," van den Spiegel said. 'But we also need to listen to those who know more about it . But we also need to listen to people who know more about it. Now we have a time frame of a few weeks. It is difficult to predict what will happen. But we have to take cancellations into account. Economically, it will have huge consequences."

RCS Sport insists that postponed events such as Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo, and Giro di Sicilia be held later in the season. and van den Spiegel."

The Tour of Flanders will take place on April 5, and the Flanders Classics will host the Gent-Wevelgem (March 29) and the Doire de Hländeren (April 1) before that, followed by the Scheldepri (April 8).

The Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne men's and women's races, organized by Veloclub Panne Sportief, will be held on March 25 and 26, while another independent race, the E3 BinckBank Classic, will be held on March 27.

E3 organizer Jacques Cousens confirmed to Radio 2 Oost-Vlaanderen (opens in new tab) that his race has delayed the erection of VIP tents at the start-finish areas of Oude Kwaremont and Harelbeke The race is now in the process of erecting the VIP tents. Under normal circumstances, this work would have started on Wednesday.

"We discussed this yesterday with the various authorities and will also have a dialogue with the city of Harelbeke to see what can be done," Cousens said.

"The construction of the VIP tent would normally start today, but we postponed it for a week. We will make a final decision next week. Maybe tomorrow they will say something else, so we are looking at the situation day by day. We want to resolve this in the best way possible so that we can meet the recommendations and still lose as little money as possible."