The UCI will announce new venues for the 2020 Road World Championship on Wednesday. The Imola Motor Racing Circuit in central Italy and the Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges mountains of eastern France have emerged as potential sites.

The UCI scrambled to find a new venue for the largest and most financially advantageous event after Switzerland's Aigle Martigny was deemed unable to host the week-long race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UCI, relying heavily on the multi-million dollar payoffs it gets from the World Championships organizers, wanted to host at least the elite men's and women's time trial and road race events between Thursday, September 24 and Sunday, September 27, and immediately called for European called for offers from.

UCI President David Lapartient posted a photo of Bernard Inaud, who won the rainbow jersey at Sallanches in 1980, indicating that he is French.

Lapartiento's tweets have boosted France's hopes of hosting the world championships, and UCI officials visited La Planche des Belles Filles in the Haute-Saône department on Sunday after visiting several locations in Italy last week. After further meetings about the financial implications and the total cost of nearly 7 million euros, Imola and La Planche des Belles Fils emerged as the strongest candidates for the bid.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Imola stood out compared to other locations in Tuscany and Abruzzo, and because Tre Valli Varesine understood that the UCI wanted a large participation fee despite the limited number of spectators who could attend and decided not to submit a final bid.

The motor racing circuit in Imola would be the start and finish venue for the race, while the circuit in Tre Monti would be hilly and grueling.

The structure of the motor racing circuit will simplify the necessary race organization structure, with pitlane providing a socially distanced area for each team, a large, modern permanent and press room, and a grandstand for the limited number of fans. Imola is very close to Bologna, where the hotel is located, and the government of Emilia Romagna is prepared to cover the costs after hosting the opening race of the 2019 Giro d'Italia, and has recently expressed interest in hosting the Tour de France's Grande Palais.

However, La Planche des Belle Filles is also convinced of its potential. The area will host the time trial for stage 20 of the Tour de France on Saturday, September 19.

"The proposal submitted to the UCI has many sporting advantages, including originality in such a special year, the guarantee of absolute control of health constraints, and the optimization of a world championship firmly committed to an environmentally friendly approach," the French Cycling Federation claimed.

The French Cycling Federation also stated.

The French race covers hilly terrain close to Thibaut Pinot's hometown, with five laps of the Col de Chevrelle (9 km, 7%) before ending with a climb on the Planche des Belle Fils (5.9 km, 8.5%).

France has recently seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, and some countries have ordered unnecessary travel to France and quarantine upon return. On the other hand, ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France, may support the bid for the Planche des Belle Filles, as many big-name riders stay in France after completing the Tour de France.

The UCI has stated that a final decision will be made by Wednesday, September 2, three weeks before the first race takes place.