As you might imagine, this podcast focuses solely on the Covid-19 coronavirus and its impact on procycling.

We will hear from team bosses Jonathan Vaughters and Matt White, as well as European Editor Stephen Farrand, who lives in Italy, and Sophie Smith, who has returned from the UAE and is safely back in Australia.

We will start with Stephen Farrand, who will talk about the impact of the coronavirus on the Italian racing scene and how the teams and the Italian public as a whole are struggling to cope. This was recorded hours after the RCS announced that this weekend's Strade Bianche would be canceled.

The interview with EF Pro Cycling's Jonathan Vaughters took place on Thursday evening, but Paris-Nice will be held and EF has decided not to run.

Vaughters discusses how the team is trying to make sense of the rapidly evolving situation and the different scenarios that must be considered regarding race selection, rosters, and rider health.

Mitchelton Scott, with Matt White, was one of the first men's and women's teams to announce that all races would be cancelled immediately. That was before Strade Bianche was cancelled. In this interview, White discusses the health of the athletes and the logistical stress on the team. He cites recent developments in the UAE tour as an example.

Finally, we hear from Australian journalist Sophie Smith about the dramatic developments that took place on the UAE Tour last week. While some teams and riders are still stranded in the UAE and will remain there until mid-March, the situation for about 72 hours was tense to say the least. This interview with Smith will show how the situation unfolded.

To subscribe to the Cycling News podcast, click here (opens in a new tab).

The latest competition offers a chance to win one of two musettes. From Katusha Alpecin, there's a pack of goodies and kits from last year, and a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. We recently moved offices and need to make room.

All you need to do to win these great prizes is visit our Itunes page (opens in a new tab), give us a review, and submit your best 3 kits (boys or girls) for 2020. We will announce the winners within a few weeks.

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful (opens in new tab) and Floyds of Leadville (opens in new tab).

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