UCI President David Lapartiento said it would be a "catastrophe" for cycling if the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France could not be held due to the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Europe. [Giro organizer RCS Sport has already been forced to postpone the Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-San Remo, and Giro di Sicilia, and because the Italian government has implemented more stringent measures to combat the spread of the virus, all sporting events were suspended until April 3.

The measures cast doubt on the possibility of hosting the 2020 Giro, which is scheduled for a little over a month from now. The Grande Partenza will be held in Budapest on May 9, with the first stage in Italy on May 12 when the caravan arrives in Sicily. The route then heads north, finishing in Milan on May 31.

"If we don't have the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France, of course it would be a disaster for our sport," Lapartiento told Reuters (opens in new tab).

The Frenchman acknowledged that the tight schedule means the Giro is in jeopardy, but expressed more optimism that the worst of the crisis may have passed, with the Tour de France starting a week earlier than usual this year for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics The Grande Paix was the first to be awarded a prize in the Tour de France. The Grande Palais will be held in Nice on June 27.

"The two-month gap may have some impact on the virus. Maybe in the summer, I expect the virus to decrease at the top of the peak," La Partiente said.

"So we hope that these races can take place. However, due to the situation in Italy, we are a bit worried about the situation of the Giro d'Italia today.

"We know the decision of the Italian government until April 3, but after that nobody knows what will happen. So there is a possibility that the Giro will be cancelled."

Paris-Nice, organized by the Tour's owner ASO, is currently being held in France, despite an increasing number of 1,412 entries (as of Monday afternoon) and the withdrawal of seven WorldTour teams beforehand. The ASO has decided not to open the start and finish of the stage to the public, following the French government's ban on public gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

"As long as they say it is safe for more people, we see no need not to race. But we are afraid that in a few days everything will change," Trek Segafredo director sportif Steven de Jong told ANP.

After Paris-Nice, the focus shifts to the Cobbled Classics. Belgium has recorded 267 coronavirus cases so far, and a Belgian government safety meeting is scheduled to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the response to the virus. However, Thomas van den Spiegel, CEO of the Flanders Classic, nevertheless expressed optimism that the race will continue.

"There is a feeling that as a country we are managing the coronavirus crisis well," he told Het Nieuwsblad (open in new tab). 'But of course we are working on it.'

"Together with virologist Marc van Lanst, we have compiled a list of measures to protect the players and the public. We must be ready to put those measures into action if necessary. Of course, we do not know how the situation will develop."

Meanwhile, the 2020 Giro opens in 60 days, and race director Mauro Veni has not ruled out the possibility of the Corsa Rosa being cancelled for the first time since 1945. According to [Sporza (opens in new tab)], "Canceling the Giro would create a very complicated situation, not only for cycling and the sport, but for the whole country. 'I don't even want to think about such a situation. The damage would be incalculable.