5 March 2020
CCC Team has officially withdrawn from Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico due to risks posed by the evolving COVID-19 situation.
Following the official cancellation of Strade Bianche, CCC Team has made the decision to withdraw from Paris-Nice and Tirreno - Adriatico in the interest of protecting the health and safety of riders and staff, and the general public, and to avoid the risks of exposure, transmission, and quarantine posed at stage races.
CCC Team Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Max Testa:
“Cycling is a unique sport with teams traveling from town to town on a daily basis at stage races, staying in different hotels every night, and coming into contact with the general public in a largely uncontrolled environment. The health of riders, staff, and the general public is the priority and with many unknowns around what protocols can viably be put in place at stage races, we believe our withdrawal is the right decision."
“At this point in the season, instances of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) and fever are high and it is inevitable that riders and staff will fall ill during the races. Without a detailed quarantine plan, and rapid testing protocol and delivery of results, teams are actively putting riders and staff at risk of exposure, transmission, and quarantine. We also need to think about the risk of quarantine for our riders and staff when they return to their home countries from these races. For these reasons, we have decided to withdraw from Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.”
CCC Team President, Jim Ochowicz:
“It was not a simple decision to withdraw from Paris-Nice, or Tirreno-Adriatico, which we expect to be officially cancelled in the wake of the cancellation of Strade Bianche. We are acting in the best interests of our riders and staff, and taking responsibly to reduce the risk of transmission at these stage races. The situation with COVID-19 is changing rapidly and we will continue to monitor the evolving situation and adjust our race calendar accordingly. We wish to express our ongoing support for both the ASO and RCS, however, we stand disappointed with the lack of direction by the UCI at this critical moment in the sport as all men’s and women’s teams have been left to fend for themselves.”
