The Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio and Strade Bianche are in danger of being cancelled due to a coronavirus outbreak in Lombardy and Tuscany, Italy. The Women's World Tour races are still currently scheduled to take place in March. However, race public health officials, event organizers, and the UCI are monitoring the situation before any further decisions are made.

The Trofeo Alfredo Binda will be held in Cittiglio, 70 km northwest of Milan, the day after Milan-San Remo. A representative of Cycling Sports Promotion, the event's organizer, told Cycling News that all sporting events in the area are currently suspended until March 1, and that they are waiting for more information from the local public health authorities before determining whether there are any problems with the women's one-day race. They are waiting for more information from the public health authorities in the area before deciding if there is a problem with the women's one-day race.

The women's event has a long history and is about to hold its 43rd edition, making it one of the oldest women's events in Italy aside from the Giro d'Italia International Feminile.

"Yesterday [Sunday, February 23], the Lombardy Region issued an ordinance suspending all sporting activities until Sunday, March 1," organizers of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda told Cycling News. [As of now, the race has not been canceled, but we have to wait for the March 1 deadline and for further news from the public authorities."

The UCI issued a statement Wednesday saying that it is in close contact with the organizers of the international cycling event and health authorities in the host country, including Italy, to help contain the risk of the virus spreading worldwide as much as possible.

"Given the speed with which new outbreaks are declared, as was the case yesterday in Tuscany, Sicily, and Liguria, it is currently impossible to predict in the medium term whether competitions in this country (Italy) will be maintained or cancelled. On the other hand, in the short term, decisions have already been made [late last week] by local health authorities to cancel or postpone events in order to minimize the risk of viral transmission, which is magnified by travel and the gathering of people in a confined space.

To date, 74,000 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed, with more than 2,000 deaths. The virus causes respiratory problems and can lead to pneumonia. The outbreak occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province in eastern China.

The UCI issued a statement last Friday providing information about the virus and announcing the postponement of all UCI races in China in April and May.

The Tour of Chongming Island, also a Women's World Tour, was scheduled to take place May 7-9, but will be rescheduled for a later date to be determined on May 15.

Two other women's races were also postponed: the Tour of Zhoushan Island (scheduled for May 12-14) and the Tour of Taiyuan (scheduled for May 31).

There were also concerns over the Olympics, which were scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 24 to August 9. However, according to a BBC report, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound told the Associated Press that the Games were still "business as usual" and that any decision would be made in May in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO).

He also said that the UCI would strictly adhere to WHO recommendations and the guidelines of national public health authorities.

Italy has seen an increase in the number of coronavirus cases over the past week, with 229 confirmed cases of the virus as of February 25.

The worst affected regions were Lombardy and Veneto, but Reuters reported on Tuesday that the virus is spreading, with new cases reported in central Tuscany, coastal Liguria, and southern Sicily.

This has put the Strade Bianche (March 7) and GP Industria & Artigianato (March 8) in Tuscany and the Milan-San Remo (March 21), which runs along the Ligurian coast through Lombardy, in danger of being canceled.

Mauro Veni, head of RCS Sport, the race organization that runs the Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Giro d'Italia, told Cycling News that Milan-San Remo is the closest to the outbreak, mainly because He said he is concerned about Milan-San Remo. While not as concerned about Strade Bianche, he said organizers will continue to monitor the situation in Tuscany and see how it could affect the race.

The Women's World Tour kicked off in February with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race; since its inception in 2016, the series has traditionally opened in Strade Bianche, Italy, with the second race now set for March 7, with the Trofeo Alfredo Binda two weeks later, on March 22.

If local public health authorities recommend cancellation or postponement of one or both of the one-day races to protect public health safety, it would be the third Women's World Tour race, along with the Tour of Chongming Island, to be affected by viral transmission.

While public health is the primary concern, it would be a major blow to the Women's World Tour, which has already lost the Emakmen Vila, Tour of California, and Prudential Ride London Classic for different reasons.

Ride London was moved to 2020 to avoid conflict with the Olympics, but the UCI rejected its application for a top-level series event in 2020 because it overlapped with the Ladies Tour of Norway (August 13-16).

The organizers of the Emakmen Vila decided not to continue this long Spanish stage race, traditionally held in May. A gap in the women's World Tour calendar was further opened that month when organizer AEG announced that the Amgen Tour of California men's and women's events would be suspended in 2020. Due to the postponement of the Tour of Chongming Island due to the coronavirus, there will be no Women's World Tour race in May.