The UCI has announced its revised 2020 WorldTour racing calendars for both men and women after the first half of the season was decimated due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
New dates are now in place for the Grand Tours, key stage races and the one-day classics, while the first-ever women’s Paris-Roubaix has also been confirmed.
The professional cycling season is now set to restart on 1 August 2020 with the Strade Bianche in Tuscany, and will run through to Il Lombardia on 31 October for men and the Ceratizit Madrid Challenge from 6 to 8 November for women.
The new men’s WorldTour calendar covers 25 events, including the Tour de France (29 August to 20 September), Giro d’Italia (3 to 25 October) and a shortened Vuelta a España (20 October to 8 November), as well as the five Monument classics and a handful of smaller one-day and stage races.
The women’s WorldTour calendar, on the other hand, includes 18 events, though a women’s Paris-Roubaix (25 October) is a notable and welcome addition.
The men's Paris-Roubaix will take place on the same day and, with the new spot on the calendar arriving deep into autumn, this year's Hell of the North could pose a unique set of challenges for riders taking on the harsh cobbles of northern France.
One cost of running such a tightly-packed season is that key events like the Grand Tours and Monument classics are now forced to overlap.
Paris-Roubaix, for example, is now the second to last race on the men’s WorldTour calendar and overlaps both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España (which also overlap).
In previous years, classics stars would often turn to domestique duties during the Grand Tours, but teams will now be forced to choose between spreading their best riders across multiple events or targeting some races at the potential expense of others.
Needless to say, the revised calendar remains subject to further changes due to the fast-developing coronavirus situation, but the planning and announcement of an updated schedule is at least some good news for riders and fans alike.
Until 1 August, you can get your competitive fix with esports racing, such as the Zwift Tour for All and the Digital Swiss 5 (though perhaps some fans may just choose to go without).
Revised 2020 men’s UCI WorldTour calendar
- 1 August: Strade Bianche (Italy)
- 5–9 August: Tour de Pologne (Poland)
- 8 August: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)
- 12–16 August: Critérium du Dauphiné (France)
- 16 August: Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic (Great Britain)
- 25 August: Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France (France)
- 29 August–20 September: Tour de France (France)
- 7–14 September: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)
- 11 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)
- 13 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)
- 29 September –3 October: BinckBank Tour
- 30 September: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)
- 3–25 October: Giro d'Italia (Italy)
- 4 October: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
- 10 October: Amstel Gold Race (the Netherlands)
- 11 October: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
- 14 October: A Travers la Flandre (Belgium)
- 15–20 October: Gree – Tour of Guangxi (China)
- 18 October: Tour of Flanders (Belgium)
- 20 October–8 November: Vuelta a España (Spain)
- 21 October: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (Belgium)
- 25 October: Paris-Roubaix (France)
- 31 October: Il Lombardia (Italy)
Revised 2020 women’s UCI WorldTour calendar
- 1 August: Strade Bianche (Italy)
- 8 August: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden TTT (Sweden)
- 9 August: Postnord UCI WWT Vårgårda West Sweden RR (Sweden)
- 13–16 August: Ladies Tour of Norway (Norway)
- 26 August: GP de Plouay – Lorient Agglomération Trophée WNT (France)
- 29 August: La Course by Le Tour de France (France)
- 1–6 September: Boels Ladies Tour (the Netherlands)
- 11–19 September: Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile (Italy)
- 30 September: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (Belgium)
- 4 October: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (Belgium)
- 10 October: Amstel Gold Race Ladies (the Netherlands)
- 11 October: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
- 18 October: Tour of Flanders (Belgium)
- 20 October: Tour of Guangxi Women’s WorldTour (China)
- 20 October: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (Belgium)
- 23–25 October: Tour of Chongming Island (China)
- 25 October: Paris-Roubaix (France)
- 6–8 November: Ceratizit Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta (Spain)
