The Kazakh team Astana announced Thursday to withdraw from competitions until March 20 and thus renounce Paris-Nice and the next Italian races, due to the epidemic of coronavirus.
Astana is the third team to forfeit Paris-Nice, which starts Sunday in the Yvelines, after Mitchelton, away until March 21, and Ineos, bereaved by the death of its sports director Nicolas Portal.
Death of Portal and coronavirus, Ineos zaps Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/JGZ44z9clO
- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) March 5, 2020“We still have a long season ahead of us with many other important races. It is not an easy decision but we must protect the cycling family as well as our own families at home, "said Kazakh team director Alexander Vinokurov.
Astana's package covers precisely three events, two in Italy (Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico) and one in France (Paris-Nice). Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez was to be the team leader for Paris-Nice.
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