The Tour de Suisse has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, removing one of the few cycling events left on the calendar before the Tour de France is due to start.
The nine-day Swiss race was scheduled to run from June 6-14 and is designed to give riders a chance to prepare for the three-week Tour de France. The French race is still scheduled to start on June 27.
Colombian rider Egan Bernal won in Switzerland last year ahead of his first Tour de France title.
Organizers in Switzerland say its “the first time since the Second World War that the traditional event will not take place.”
They say “the risk of additional strain on the Swiss health system due to possible crashes during racing is high.”