PARIS (Reuters) – Dutch team Lotto Jumbo Visma and Australia’s Mitchelton-Scott have pulled put of Saturday’s Stade Bianche cycling race in Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Team Jumbo-Visma will not participate in Strade Bianche and GP Industria this weekend,” the team said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The decision has been taken on medical advice, the recommendation of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as on practical grounds.
“It’s likely that the same decision will apply to other Italian races in March. However, we are also awaiting messages from the Italian government.”
Italy has been the worst affected country in Europe by the coronavirus outbreak, with at least 79 deaths and more than 2,500 cases.
“Together with the management of our team, I am constantly considering and acting in the interest of the health and working conditions of our riders and staff members. That includes, for example, preventing them from quarantine abroad,” team general manager Richard Plugge said.
“We have to look at the broader picture and take responsibility for the health of riders, staff and fans.”
Mitchelton-Scott confirmed here they have also pulled out of seven other race events scheduled until March 22 as a precautionary measure in response to the outbreak.
It means that the men’s team will be absent from GP Industria, Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, while the women’s team will miss Ronde van Drenthe, Danilith Nokere Koerse and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda.
The Australian team added it had notified sport’s governing body UCI of its decision to withdraw and that it would monitor the situation before deciding on its participation in events beyond March 22.
Elsewhere, several cycling teams confined to a luxury Abu Dhabi hotel have been instructed by the state’s health authorities to remain in quarantine until March 14 due to coronavirus concerns.
Reporting by Julien Pretot; additional reporting by Hardik Vyas; editing by Pritha Sarkar