Vincenzo Nibali has announced that he will compete in Paris-Nice, replacing Tirreno-Adriatico, which is restricted from holding sporting events in Italy due to the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Trek-Segafredo riders will race to the Sun as part of the eight-member Trek-Segafredo team that includes Richie Porte, Coone Brussel-Coone winner Jasper Steuben, and world champion Mads Pedersen.

"I decided to go Paris-Nice with the team to keep my schedule mostly unchanged until the Giro d'Italia. At this point, it is important to race many kilometers and days," Nibali said in a statement on Friday.

"Given the situation in Italy, a change of calendar was practically mandatory. It is a great pity that I will not be able to race in my home country, but I hope that the situation will improve soon, regardless of the race."

RCS Sport confirmed this week that the Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, and Tour of Sicily have been postponed, while GP Larchiano, Trofeo Binda, and Settimana Coppi e Bartali have also been cancelled.

Seven WorldTour teams, Jumbo Visma, Ineos, Movistar, Astana, CCC, Mitchelton Scott, and UAE Team Emirates, have cancelled their participation in Paris-Nice due to concerns over the risks posed by the spread of coronavirus in France.

In response, organizer ASO allowed the competing teams to field eight players, more than the usual seven, and issued wild cards to Circus-Group Gobert and B&B Hotels-Vital Concepts.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Trek-Segafredo coach Luca Guercilena and coach Paolo Slongo will not participate in Paris-Nice because they live in Lombardy and Veneto, the Italian regions with the highest number of coronavirus cases, respectively. They will not.

Giulio Ciccone has also been left out of the Paris-Nice team. He competed in the recent Tour of the UAE, where the final two stages were cancelled and the entire race quarantined due to a number of suspected coronavirus cases.

ASO told Cycling News on Friday that no restrictions had been placed on riders and staff traveling from northern Italy to Paris-Nice, as well as on riders and staff who had participated in the UAE Tour.

Nibali, of Lugano, Switzerland, finished third behind Simon Clark (EF Pro Cycling) in the Royal Bernardaudrome Classic in France last weekend.

"In Paris-Nice, my goal is to confirm the good impressions I got in Ardèche and the Drome Classic and to leapfrog my conditioning even further. The team is very strong and well prepared.

Nibali, Porte, Pedersen, and the in-form Stuyven join Trek-Segafredo's lineup, along with Edward Theuns, Ryan Mullen, Kenny Elissondo, and Alex Kirsch.

"Vincenzo is the GC leader, with Richie going for the stage. The Classics riders might have a chance to break away, and I'm going to try to sprint with Edward. We'll just have to take our chances one day at a time," said coach Steven de Jong.

"We were able to add Ryan Mullen to the selection. He will protect Vincenzo and it will be good practice for the Giro, where Ryan will play the same role.

Paris-Nice starts on Sunday at Plaisir and concludes on the 15th at the Promenade des Anglais. Although there are 577 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France, the French Ministry of Sport gave the go-ahead for Paris-Nice earlier this week.

"I am happy that ASO has done everything possible to make the race happen," de Jong said. 'They took all sorts of measures to ensure that the riders and staff didn't come into contact with the crowds.'