Gran Fondo Strade Bianche cancelled over COVID-19 | Sticky Bottle

*An announcement on Milan-Sanrermo (above) and other major races in Italy is due tomorrow morning but a major sportive owned by RCS Sport set for this weekend is cancelled due to the coronavirus*

RCS Sport, one of pro cycling's biggest race promoters, has canceled its first event due to the coronavirus; a major sportive this weekend.

The company, which owns major races including the Giro d'Italia, said it would publish updates on its imminent pro races just as soon as it had liaised more with the health and public authorities in Italy.

Amid escalating coronarvirus rates in Europe, Italy's situation is worse than any other nation in the region.

Today the Italian authorities introduced significant restrictions on schools, which will close, and public and sporting events in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

Gran Fondo Strade Bianche was due to take place on Sunday, one day after the women's and men's pro races. However, the leisure event is cancelled due to the coronavirus. And there are fears about this weekend's races and major races to come this spring

It seems almost inevitable that major professional cycling races run by RCS Sports in Italy will face cancellations, though as of Wednesday night none had been cancelled or postponed.

However, the event that has been cancelled for this Sunday is the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche; the mass participation leisure event that follows 24 hours after the WorldTour one-day men's and women's Strade Bianche races on Saturday.

It is feared those races won’t go ahead and the same concerns extend to further imminent events such as Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo and others.

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The major races in Italy in coming days and weeks are some of the biggest in cycling’s spring series of events and any one of them being scrapped for this year would be a huge blow.

If several of these races was cancelled it would largely reshape the first half of the season for many pro teams; some of whom are reluctant to go to Italy at present to race because of the virus.

“Following the decree of the president of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic of March 4th, 2020, RCS Sport announces that the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche scheduled for March 8th is canceled,” RCS Sport said, referring to the new restrictions on public gatherings introduced today.

It added the details of a new date for Gran Fondo Strade
Bianche would be “communicated in the future”.

The statement then turned its attentions to the upcoming pro races; stopping well short of announcing their cancellation before adding a decision on Strade Bianche, based around Siena, may come as early as tomorrow morning.

“Regarding the bike races Strade Bianche (March 7th), Strade Bianche Women Elite (March 7th), Tirreno-Adriatico (March 11th-17th), Milano-Sanremo (March 21st) and Il Giro di Sicilia (April 1st-4th), RCS Sport will communicate the updates and details in the coming days,” it said.

“(Updates will be published) following the meetings with the appropriate authorities, starting from the meeting with the Prefecture of Siena tomorrow morning."