The ongoing debate over the rescheduling of cycling's most important races due to the coronavirus pandemic may be settled on Friday. In particular, the Milan-San Remo race, which was scheduled to take place on August 8, has been considered for various dates, August 22 and August 15, but it is now possible that La Classissima, which is usually held in March, will be held on August 8.

RCS Sport, the race organizer, had requested that the Milan to San Remo be changed to August 22. The reason is that it is only an hour's drive from San Remo to the Tour de France Grand Départ in Nice, reducing travel time and distance and eliminating the need to travel elsewhere in the meantime due to current and likely ongoing health issues. [On Wednesday, however, it appeared almost certain that Milan-San Remo would be held on August 15, and RCS CEO Paolo Bellino and Giro d'Italia director Mauro Veni were angered by the new date, which will have an evening finish in San Remo.

August 15 is Ferragosto, an Italian national holiday that marks the beginning of summer vacation for many Italians.

However, according to Thursday's Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, the RCS, the UCI, and the Italian Cycling Federation have agreed to hold Milan-San Remo on August 8 and Il Lombardia, another one-day monument in Italy, on August 15

"Sanremo on August 8 and Il Lombardia on August 15 are a great compromise," Renato Di Rocco, president of the Italian Cycling Federation and vice president of the UCI, said Thursday on Ilmessaggero.it.

"We have to think about restarting [the season] in the best possible way, being aware that we have the most important races at such a difficult time," he said.

The weekend of August 22 and 23 (the week before the start of the Tour on August 29) could be used for national championships in various countries; a final decision by the UCI on the 2020 calendar is expected on Friday.