Tour de France 2020 Postponed By Two Months Over Coronavirus Outbreak

This year's Tour de France has been delayed for two months following an announcement by the governing body UCI blaming the decision on the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The body's president David Lappartient also confirmed the change in date for the event and revealed that the decision was reached after holding meetings with all stakeholders of the event.

"I would like to pay tribute to the representatives of the organizers, teams, and riders for their collaboration and commitment in these difficult times," said Lappartient.

"We still have work to do to finalize the establishment of an entirely revise 2020 UCI International Calendar given the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world, but a first very important step has been taken today."

Originally, the event was meant to hold on June 27 through July 19 with the race starting from Nice and ending in Paris but the body has now pushed the date forward to August 29 through September 20. Besides the event, the body has also suspended the oncoming WorldTour events until August 1.

"Holding this event in the best conditions possible is judged essential given its central place in the cycling's economy and its exposure," UCI said in a statement. "In particular for the teams that benefit on this occasion from unparalleled visibility."