French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced an official delay to all large events in the country until after September 1st, putting the rescheduled Tour de France which is due to start in August in jeopardy. Speculation has flown as to whether the Tour de France will get special treatment, but no official statements have been released.

Italy has been on lockdown since March 9th, and is country most-heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But after nearly two months, the country is planning a gradual re-opening, including the allowance of socially-distanced outdoor sporting activities beginning on May 4th. This is welcome news to tens of thousands of cyclists who have been unable to ride outdoors since early March.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ASO, the organizers of the Tour de France, have officially postponed the 2020 event to August 29 to September 20, 2020. This move – among others – creates a jam-packed calendar for fall 2020, although no less can be expected with so many spring and summer events being forced to move. The UCI Road World Championships in Aigle-Martigny, Switzerland are set for September 20-27, leaving little-to-no turnaround time for riders planning on finishing the Tour.