Team Ineos, which counts Ireland's Eddie Dunbar as one of its rising stars, has decided to withdraw from racing due to the sudden death of its direteur Nicolas Portal and also referencing the the coronavirus.
"Team Ineos have today taken the decision to withdraw temporarily from all racing until the Volta a Catalunya on March 23rd," the team said in a statement on Wednesday night.
"We have notified the UCI that we will not be competing in any races during this period.
"We have taken this decision given the unique set of circumstances we are facing following yesterday’s tragic news about Nico Portal.
"And clearly we recognise there is also a very uncertain situation with coronavirus more widely."
The races the team will not be racing include:
- Strade Bianche
- Paris-Nice
- Tirreno-Adriatico
- Milan-San Remo
- Nokere Koerse
- Bredene Koksijde Classic
"This is a uniquely sad moment for everyone at the team. We have lost someone we all loved very much and are all grieving for Nico,” team principal Dave Brailsford said in a statement.
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Team Ineos said it was pausing its racing for now “first
and foremost” because of Portal’s sad death but also cited several factors
related to the coronavirus.
It said it wanted “to look after our team members, their
family and friends, who are all grieving for a much loved teammate and whose
funeral will be taking place in the coming days”.
The team added it must also recognise its “duty of
healthcare to riders and staff in what is a very fast moving and challenging
situation with coronavirus”.
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It did not want to travel to places to race where it
might put extra pressure on the local health authorities “who are dealing with
a challenging and unprecedented situation” already because of the coronavirus.
It had considered those factors related to the coronavirus
in the context of “the unique mobile nature of cycling with its travelling
peloton of riders and staff across towns and regions”.
He added the riders and staff were grateful for the
outpouring of support since Portal’s sudden death in Andorra on Tuesday.
“Nico meant the world to us as a Team and it is genuinely
touching to know how much he also meant to everyone else across the sport,”
Brailsford added.
"We are taking this decision to put a temporary
pause on racing today because of this unique set of circumstances we are
facing.
“It is right for the team given what has happened but I
also believe it is in the best interests of both cycling and the wider public,”
he explained, in reference to the growing crisis around the spread of the
coronavirus.
"Cycling is a uniquely mobile sport. We have a duty
of care both to our riders and staff but also to the people living in the areas
where we race,” added Brailsford.
“We do not want to be in a position where our riders become
potentially infected or quarantined on race as has already happened.
“Equally we are acutely aware that these are difficult
times for all local health services and we do not want to put any additional
pressure or burden whatsoever upon them when all their focus should rightly be
on their own local population.
“Recent events at the UAE Tour have illustrated some of
these challenges for cycling as a sport.
"This pause will give us the time to grieve for Nico in private, to support each other at what is a very sad moment and to treasure the memory of a great and much loved teammate and friend. We hope everyone will understand why this is so important to us."
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