Cycling news - Quebec and Montreal WorldTour events to go ahead

With the cycling calendar in tatters due to the coronavirus pandemic, a string of events have been cancelled or rescheduled, including the Tour, which has been moved from its traditional late June-July slot to one at the end of August and beginning of September.

However, Serge Arsenault, President of organisers the GPCQM, believes that they will still be able to bring in an attractive field.

"Because of the nature of our races, however, we should still see a high-quality field of competitors in Québec City and Montréal," said Serge Arsenault, President of the GPCQM, in a press statement.

"The new calendar has been carefully thought out in that sense for each event.

"The Quebec City and Montreal circuits are tailor-made for one-day classics specialists, so riders of that profile may well choose our races to show their talents and shine.

"It bears repeating, however, that the health and safety of spectators and riders, and proper supervision by the organizers are our priority.

"The GPCQM organizers are taking very seriously the situation and the risks related to COVID-19. We will continue to monitor the situation worldwide and update you on developments as they happen."

The state of Quebec, which includes both Quebec City and Montreal, has the worst outbreak in Canada, with almost 40,000 confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths.