The 2020 edition of Paris-Roubaix, the “queen of classics” cyclists, has been canceled due to the coronavirus, the organizing company (ASO) announced on Friday.
The race, usually run in April, was then to take place on October 25 after a postponement caused by the national confinement in force in France from mid-March to mid-May. The cancellation occurs the day after the announcement of the classification of Lille, neighboring Roubaix, in the maximum alert zone from Saturday.
At the request of the prefect
The decision was taken “at the request of the prefect of the North and the Hauts-de-France region”, explained ASO, “and following the announcement of Olivier Véran, Minister of Solidarity and Health, placing the European metropolis of Lille in a maximum alert zone “.
Famous for its cobbled sectors, Paris-Roubaix, which was created in 1896, is one of the five “monuments”, the biggest non-world championship day races, of the cycling season.
Last spring, the classic had already been postponed from April 12 to October 25, in the calendar developed by the International Cycling Union (UCI), to take into account the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first edition of the women’s Paris-Roubaix is also canceled, said the organizers who have given an appointment for April 11, 2021, the date on the calendar for next year.
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