The Tour de Suisse was cancelled on Friday in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the organisers of June’s eight-day cycling race said they will not reschedule it for later in the year.
“This is the first
time since the Second World War that the traditional event will not take place,”
said the statement on the race website, noting that Swiss authorities had not
yet banned the event.
The tour, scheduled
for June 7-14, had been the earliest top-level race still standing on the
cycling calendar.
The organisers
listed a series of potential problems if it went ahead.
These included the “support
from the army and police for the safe execution of the event,” travel
restrictions for teams from other countries and the risk of “additional strain
on the Swiss health system due to possible crashes”.
They said the lack
of preparation of riders based in countries where outdoor cycling is prohibited
meant “a fair competition cannot be guaranteed”.
The statement also
said the cancellation was a financial necessity because the pandemic has
brought a collapse in sponsorship and in sales of hospitality packages. Further
delays “would result in increased costs” for the organisers, sponsors and host
cities.
“The top priority
of the Tour de Suisse organisation is to ensure the continuity of this event,”
said the statement.
The statement said
that the organisers were staging a “digital” tour on the same dates and that 17
professional teams had signed up.
Cycling is in
shutdown until the end of May, with the Tour de France still due to start on
June 27.
