Organizers of the 2020 VOO Tour de Wallonie, which was rescheduled from August 16 to 19 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, are looking for a new venue for the opening stage finish after the mayor of As has refused to host the race due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus.

"I must protect the public; COVID-19 is not yet a thing of the past. There are still too many infected people," Bruno Lefebvre said Tuesday, Belgian media reported.

This 2.1 stage race was originally scheduled to run from July 27-31. Last year it was won by Loic Vliegen (Wanty Gobert), but with its new calendar positioning within two weeks of the start of the Tour de France in Nice on August 29, it may attract bigger teams and riders and potentially bigger crowds this season.

"In addition to the many cycling officials and the usual 2,000 spectators, hundreds more will come to As. That would be an epidemiological risk, which we would prefer to avoid for the sake of our residents." [Race director Christophe Brandt said the decision by the mayor of Assas was "politically driven."

"A week later, the Ducasse Van As was supposed to take place, a multi-day folkloric festival that attracts 120,000 people, but the mayor was forced to cancel it. So now he is sacrificing the race as well."

Belgian newspapers wrote that there were apparently two alternatives to As for the finish of the road stage, which was to start in Soignies and be contested over 188.9 km. One of them seems to be Tournai, near the French border and close to Roubaix and Lille. A decision will be made soon.