Originally scheduled for this week, the French championships were postponed to August 21-23 after a coronavirus pandemic interrupted the cycling season in March.
However, Plumelec Mayor Stéphane Hamon called for the cancellation of the event because public gatherings were restricted in France until August 31; according to Ouest France (opens in new tab), on Monday evening, the Plumelec City Council voted to cancel the 2020 French Championships, and voted against hosting the championships.
In a statement released on social media on Tuesday, the French cycling federation (FFC) said it is looking for an alternative venue for the national road championships in the Morbihan department.
"The French Cycling Federation, the National Cycling League, and the local organizing committee have taken note of the decision of the town council of the Commune of Plumelec not to host the 2020 French Road Championships," the statement said.9]
"Subject to the approval of the Morbihan prefecture An alternative proposal is currently being considered by the Morbihan Prefecture for the scheduled dates of August 21, 22, and 23"
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The new parcours will most likely be flatter than the course planned for Panthulek in Plumelec. The course is centered on the Côte de Cadoudal, where Eric Zabel defeated Frank Vandenbrouck in the 1997 Tour de France and Alejandro Valverde won his first maillot jaune 11 years later. The climb last appeared in the Tour in 2015, when it was the finale of the team time trial on stage 9.
According to Ouest France, a new venue for the French championships is likely to be decided before June 20, and the newspaper has named Sarzeau, where UCI president David Lapartiento is mayor, as a candidate.
The UCI confirmed last week that the weekend of August 22-23 has been allocated to the national championships, despite RCS Sport's request to hold Milan-San Remo the week before the Tour de France. Milano-Sanremo will be held on August 8, and Il Lombardia on August 15.
In Brittany, two international events have already been confirmed for the week before the Tour, which begins in Nice on August 29. The Bretagne Classic in Plouay is scheduled for August 25, followed the next day by the women's GP de Plouay-Lorient Agglomeration Trophée.
Ploué is also hosting the European Championships from August 24-28, after Trento cancelled the event due to coronavirus restrictions in the Trentino region of Italy. Instead, Trento will host the 2021 European Championships.
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