Opinion | Pro-cycling survives 12 months of Covid-19 restrictions, now ‘defiant’ as vaccines give hope for return to normal
- After a year of races with no or limited crowds, there is now a sense of when, not if, racing will return to normal
- Last year, a year’s worth of events were crammed into three months, making for thrilling races and new faces
Sports fans would never have guessed in March 2020 that events would still be on hold 12 months later.
For pro cyclists the first true Covid-19 blow was dealt at the World Tour ranked UAE Tour stage race in March, when the entire race was halted and forcibly quarantined, much to the protests of riders and staff. It did seem slightly absurd back then.
As the virus raced through Europe many bike races found themselves being halted mid-flow until they were all finally put into the same lockdown.
Against all odds and maybe even strings of wisdom the whole show resumed in August. One whole year’s worth of prime races were crammed into a three-month slot that was shrouded in uncertainty.
Strangely enough that uncertainty as to whether a race would reach the end made for some of the best racing in years.