The ax fell after several weeks of rumors.

Paris-Roubaix, the "queen of the classics", was postponed from April 11 to October 3 because of the French health situation, announced Thursday April 1, the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Only of the five "monuments" of the cycling season to have been canceled in 2020, Paris-Roubaix should take place this year, but in early fall, a week after the world championship scheduled in Belgium.

Last year, the test had already been postponed to the fall before being withdrawn from the program because of the worsening pandemic.

"It was inconceivable that there would not be Paris-Roubaix for the second time in two years," Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, who also organizes Paris-Roubaix, told AFP.

"This decision follows the decision of the competent French authorities to prohibit the holding of the 2021 edition of Paris-Roubaix - men and women - on the dates provided for in the UCI International Road Calendar in the context of the current health situation", explains the UCI in a press release.

Last year, the event had already been postponed to the fall and finally canceled, for the same reason.

Both the men's race created in 1896 and the women's version which was to take place for the first time.

Since the first edition at the end of the 19th century, only the two world wars got the better of Paris-Roubaix, between 1915 and 1918 then between 1940 and 1942 before the Covid-19 did its work. 

🗓 @ParisRoubaix has been postponed



Due to # COVID19, the 2021 edition of @ParisRoubaix will now take place on October 2nd for the women and Sunday October 3rd for the men.

More info 👇 #UCIWT @UCI_WWT

- UCI (@UCI_cycling) April 1, 2021

The new dates, October 2 for the ladies' race and October 3 for the men's race, were unanimously ratified by the Professional Cycling Council (CCP), convened on Thursday by UCI President David Lappartient. 

The hypothesis of a postponement or a cancellation had taken shape at the beginning of last week, when the prefect of Hauts-de-France, Michel Lalande, had publicly mentioned it. 

In the continuity of the turn of the screw decided on Wednesday by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, in view of the health situation, the prefect decided ten days before the appointment which was to be given in Compiègne (Oise), the traditional place of departure . 

The "queen of the classics", whose last edition was won in April 2019 by the Belgian Philippe Gilbert, will therefore take place in the calendar one week after the world championship scheduled for Louvain (Belgium).

With AFP

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