Istrian Spring Trophy cancelled as a preventive measure against coronavirus
60th Istrian Spring Trophy
From 12 to 15 March
The 2020 edition of the Istrian Spring Trophy, which was supposed to take place between Thursday and Sunday, will finally not take place. The organisation has decided not to go ahead with the race as a result of the containment measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus on Croatian territory, where fourteen cases have been diagnosed so far. In this sense, and with some changes to the original plan due to the temporary suspension of all direct flights between Italy and Spain, the structure of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team has already begun to return to their respective homes. This Wednesday, in fact, the World Health Organization has declared this outbreak a ‘global pandemic’.
“Since early this morning we were seeing different scenarios with the organizer, but he himself has informed us that the authorities were already putting many obstacles; from the organization they were fighting to get ahead taking measures like those of Paris-Nice, closing the access to the public to departures or arrivals or canceling the podium ceremony. In the late afternoon, even before the registration was formalized, it was already a fact that the race was not taking place”.
With the suspension of the Istrian Spring Trophy, the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team faces a three-week cycle without competition as the next Giro di Sicilia, another of the great objectives of the continental structure of the Alberto Contador Foundation, which was scheduled to take place between April 1 and 4, has also been postponed sine die as part of the measures acquired by the Italian government to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Fran Contador, general manager of the Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team: “First and foremost, people’s health comes first. It’s a pity for the organisers, whose months of hard work come to nothing, or for the teams, who have been on Croatian soil for over a week and suddenly have to return without competing. But we are talking about a public health issue and we cannot ignore the day-to-day life of society. We are very attentive to the indications of the authorities and the organisers in all the categories in which we are competitively present. And in this sense, for example, in view of the latest measures taken by the Autonomous Government of Madrid, the Plaza Eboli Cycling Academy in Pinto has ceased its activities for two weeks. From here we hope that all the riders, assistants and directors not only of the Kometa-Xstra, but of all the teams, will be able to return to their homes without major problems”.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
