| Tenth edition of theUCI WorldTour | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 January – 8 November |
| Location |
|
| Races | 21 |
← 2019 2021 → | |
The2020UCI World Tour was a series of races that was scheduled to include thirty-sixroad cycling events throughout the2020 cycling season.[1] However, some of races were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[2] The tour started with the opening stage of theTour Down Under on 21 January,[1] and concluded with the final stage of theVuelta a España on 8 November.[3][4]
The 2020 calendar was initially announced in June 2019.[1] In October 2019, the calendar was officially presented by the UCI.
There were two races fewer in the original schedule than in the2019 UCI World Tour:
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic that commenced in the spring, numerous races were postponed, including all threeGrand Tours and four of the five annual 'monuments'. As a result, race organisers requested new date allocations with theUnion Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for many of these events. On 5 May 2020, a revised calendar was announced by the UCI, with 25 races to be held between 1 August and 8 November; several races are scheduled to overlap, including theGiro d'Italia, theVuelta a España andParis–Roubaix.[7] Of the 25,Eschborn–Frankfurt and theEuroEyes Cyclassics had dates still to be confirmed at the time of the calendar's publication.[8] Further amendments were made to the calendar in June, with two more races being cancelled, several others moving dates and the EuroEyes Cyclassics was scheduled for October.[3]
A total of fifteen events were not able to be rescheduled, or were definitively cancelled during the 2020 season. The centennialVolta a Catalunya (23–29 March),[14] theTour of the Basque Country (6–11 April),[15] theTour de Romandie (28 April to 3 May),[16] theTour de Suisse (7–14 June),[17] and theClásica de San Sebastián (25 July) were all cancelled prior to any updated calendars being released by the UCI.[15] Following the May calendar update, theE3 BinckBank Classic (27 March),[8] and theRideLondon–Surrey Classic (16 August) were both cancelled;[18] in the June calendar update,Eschborn–Frankfurt (initially scheduled for 1 May), andDwars door Vlaanderen (having been rescheduled for 14 October) were also cancelled.[3] In July, theEuroEyes Cyclassics (initially scheduled for 16 August, and then rescheduled to 3 October),[19] and the two Canadian races inQuébec City andMontréal (scheduled for 11 and 13 September) were cancelled.[20]
Following the recommencement of racing on 1 August, the season-endingTour of Guangxi (initially scheduled for 15–20 October, and then rescheduled to 5–10 November) was cancelled on 10 August.[4] On 30 September, the day after Dutch stages were removed from theBinckBank Tour, theAmstel Gold Race (initially scheduled for 19 April, and then rescheduled to 10 October), was cancelled following a surge of cases attributed to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.[12][21] On 9 October,Paris–Roubaix (initially scheduled for 12 April, and then rescheduled to 25 October) was cancelled after a rise in cases attributed to theCOVID-19 pandemic in France.[22]
The nineteenWorldTeams were automatically invited to compete in events, withTotal Direct Énergie (the best performingUCI ProTeam in 2019) also automatically invited to all events. Other teams were invited by the organisers of each race.[23]
