Coronavirus and MTB Events

I've changed the title of the thread to include all general Coronavirus news we get (it started as a thread about the Lousa World Cup DH being canceled).

Update March 12, 2020 - USA Cycling's official statement
USA Cycling Statement on COVID-19

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Cycling promotes bike racing and riding in every form, but safety is their number one priority. In light of COVID-19 and concerns for the well-being of the community, USA Cycling is working to bring all athletes, coaches, and support staff back to the United States from locations abroad. Additionally, they have curtailed international travel for staff and teams and have asked personnel to work from home.

The health and safety of athletes, coaches, staff, members, and the broader cycling community is USA Cycling’s primary concern and they are monitoring the outbreak COVID-19 closely. They remain in close contact with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our local health authorities in Colorado for guidance and instruction.

Due to the wide-ranging events and jurisdictions involved, USA Cycling is not preemptively requiring the postponement or cancellation of any American events. Event organizers should work with their local government agencies and health providers to determine the risk associated with their event. USA Cycling policies and regulations never override civil laws, regulations, or policies.

Organizers who are concerned their event will be impacted should contact their USA Cycling Event Service Coordinator or Event Service Regional Manager, all of whom are prepared to assist in the case that events need to be postponed or cancelled.

At this time the 2020 USA Cycling Collegiate BMX National Championship, scheduled for April 4-5, has been postponed due to bans on public gatherings. We are working with USA BMX to reschedule. The 2020 USA Cycling Para-Road and Collegiate Road National Championship is taking place as scheduled. We will modify qualification requirements for Collegiate Road Nationals to address conference race cancellations. As of this time, we are continuing as planned with the remainder of the 2020 National Championship schedule.

Please check our social media channels or the USA Cycling website for updates on all National Championship events. For all other events, please visit the event channels directly, as decisions to postpone or cancel will be made by event promoters.

For more information, contact Bouker Pool at bpool@usacycling.org

ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)

USA Cycling is a proud member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Within the United States, USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. With a mission to develop the sport of cycling in the United States and to achieve sustained international racing success, USA Cycling supports cyclists at all levels, from those just beginning in the sport and participating in fun rides to seasoned professionals. The organization not only identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition, but also supports amateur bike racing through grassroots development programs and the provision of critical infrastructure to run organized racing.

USA Cycling is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020. In 1920, the organization began as The Amateur Bicycle League of America and evolved to become the United States Cycling Federation in 1975 and ultimately USA Cycling, Inc. in 1995. USA Cycling's 100,000+ members are comprised of racers and cyclists of all ages and abilities, coaches, officials, mechanics, and race directors.
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Update 3.11.20 10:57am mtn time - EWS rounds 1 & 2 moved to November
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from EWS
Colombia and Chile will take place later this year

The Enduro World Series (EWS) has announced that the first two rounds of the 2020 season in Colombia and Chile have been postponed in an effort to help contain the global spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Round one scheduled to take place in Manizales, Colombia on March 27 -28 and round two that was due to take place on April 4-5 in Farellones, Chile will now take place later in the year."

"Round one scheduled to take place in Manizales, Colombia at the end of the month has been moved to the weekend of 7-8 November whilst round two that was due to take place on April 4-5 in Farellones, Chile will now take place on 14-15 November 2020."
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Update 3.10.20 3:00am mtn time - official release from UCI
2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup:
postponement of round in Lousã, Portugal

Due to the current pneumonia epidemic (Covid-19) linked to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which has
also affected Portugal in recent days, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) must announce that the
opening round of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup which was to take place at
Louzanpark in Lousã on 21 and 22 March will not take place on the scheduled dates.
The UCI fully supports the decision taken by the Lousã local authorities and the Montanha Clube to
reschedule the event based on the instructions made on 3 March by the Portuguese public health
authorities. In light of the current situation, the running of the event would have potentially presented a
health risk to riders, to everyone involved in the event and to fans, and could have contributed to the
spread of Covid-19.

The new date of the event will be announced by the UCI after consultation with the organising committee
and the country’s health authorities, taking into account the overall calendar of the series and depending
on the evolution of the spread of the coronavirus worldwide and in Portugal.
The UCI would like to thank the city of Lousã and the Montanha Clube for their cooperation in this difficult
situation, as well as the riders, teams and all parties involved for their understanding.

Update 3.10.20 4:02pm mtn time - Pinkbike is saying they have word from UCI that race is postponed.

Update 3.10.20 3:29pm mtn time - city of Lousa suspending events in march and early april
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this just in via email
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The UCI still hasn't responded to any emails, but it seems Lousa has made a decision today

The municipal website for the town has made a statement (translated from Portuguese):

Following the latest developments regarding COVID-19 and the measures enacted by the General Health Directorate, the Municipality of Lousã, after meeting the Municipal Civil Protection Commission and complying with its Contingency Plan, decided to put in place additional measures to better prevent the transmission of the virus in the community, namely:

»Municipal Swimming Pools: suspension of all teaching activities carried out by the Lousã School Group, classes at the Municipal Swimming School and the“ Lousã a Mexer Mais ”Project;

Suspension of all initiatives organized by the Municipality during the month of March and the beginning of April, namely: (and then it goes into list below)

The original page in Portuguese can be found here

Included in the list of activities is the World Cup.
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screenshot from that page


Original post, 3.10.20 1:18pm
here's the translation from this MTB-news.de article
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In the past few days there have been numerous event cancellations due to the increasing spread of the corona virus. A letter published today by the Portuguese Ministry of Health now suggests that the first Downhill World Cup of the year, which is scheduled to take place in Lousa, Portugal, will be canceled. Among other things, the official guidelines stipulate that indoor events with over 1,000 visitors and outdoor events with over 5,000 visitors will be canceled by early April. An official confirmation of the cancellation by the UCI or the organizer is still pending. It is also theoretically conceivable to hold the competition in private. In view of the current developments, an official cancellation would come as no surprise. So far, the UCI has been reluctant to make a decision and has always pointed out that planned events will take place, provided there are no restrictions imposed by the region in which the competition is to be held.

To the extent that it is believed that mass events can help increase the spread of infections, with priority given to protecting public health, the following guidelines are established: (…) Regardless of the above guidelines (which apply to indoor -Event events, editor's note), all events that take place outdoors and which involve more than 5,000 people should be postponed or canceled.