Two of cycling’s most prestigious races, the Vuelta a Espana and Giro d'Italia, are set to overlap this year after the UCI announced its revised road calendar.
The sport’s global governing body has confirmed plans to resume racing on both its men’s and women’s World Tours from August 1, following the coronavirus suspension, which has been in place since March.
The Giro, which is usually the first Grand Tour of the season, will now run from October 3-25, while the Vuelta will begin on October 20 and run until the season’s end on November 8, meaning riders will have to choose one or the other to compete in.
The latter race has been reduced by one weekend after organisers in the Dutch city of Utrecht, which was due to stage the Grand Depart, pulled out because of the pandemic.
The Tour de France remains unmoved from its rescheduled date of August 29 – September 20, despite the French government announcing a ban on mass gatherings at sporting events until the start of September, meaning organisers will have to plan for the first three stages in line with the restrictions.
While the majority of riders choose to focus on one or two Grand Tours each year - no cyclist has ever won all three in a single campaign - the clash between the Vuelta and Giro is likely to present a major challenge for teams in terms of logistics and resources.
The only British leg of the World Tour, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, remains scheduled for August 16.
