"The competition will remain on the schedule for the time being, but it is true that the health situation is very serious, and we have not ruled out the possibility of requesting a postponement from the UCI," race organizer Francisco Guzman told Ciclo 21 (opens in new tab).
Guzman said that the Vuelta a Murcia would not be canceled, but that he would request a rescheduling of the UCI 2.1 event and confirm it in the next few days. He also said that 16 of the 19 WorldTour teams have requested to compete in the event, but there is no update on the event's website.
"We have to take responsibility for the final decision. We will be meeting with the authorities and sponsors and by mid-week we will make a final decision based on what all parties have told us."
Murcia is located on the Mediterranean coast of southeastern Spain, where local health authorities have called for residents to be grounded due to an increase in coronavirus cases. Located across the Balearic Sea from Majorca, the Challenge Mallorca race series has been postponed until May.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to force event organizers in every region of the globe to reschedule the early part of the 2021 season. Australia's Tour Down Under, Great Ocean Race, and Herald Sun Tour have all been canceled. In Spain, a number of early season UCI events are scheduled to take advantage of the mild winter weather.
The February Vuelta a Murcia dates follow the 2.Pro Volta a la comunitat Valenciana on February 3-7, with a live streaming of the presentation ceremony on Thursday.
Since its first edition in 1985, the Vuelta a Murcia has been a five-day spring stage race; from 2013 to 2018 it was shortened to one day, and from 2019 it was reorganized to a two-day race, won that year by Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), last year was won by Xandro Moulis aboard Circus Wantigover.
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