Cycling: Spanish Grand Tour stages in Portugal scrapped

Organizers say decision taken due to 'exceptional situation caused by COVID-19 crisis'

By Emre Asikci

ANKARA (AA) - The Portuguese stages of the 2020 Spanish Grand Tour (Vuelta a Espana) have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced on Saturday.

A statement said the organizers and the municipalities of Porto, Matosinhos, and Viseu have agreed that “the route of La Vuelta 20 will not pass through Portugal."

It said the decision was taken “due to the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis and, due to the impossibility of ensuring the optimum conditions required to hold the race in the territory”.

The statement said alternative host cities have been approved but will be announced over the coming weeks.

The latest change to the race itinerary comes after the opening stages scheduled for the Netherlands were canceled in April.

La Vuelta will run from Oct. 20 to Nov. 8, according to the revised schedule announced by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) earlier this week.

The UCI World Tour 2020 will start with Italy's Strade Bianche on Aug. 1 and will have 25 events.

Kaynak:

This news has been read 203 times in total