Hagens Berman Axiom team manager Axel Merckx said that after the closure of professional races due to the coronavirus outbreak, the main focus has been on ensuring that the sport's major events like the Tour de France and the One-Day Classic are held this season He admitted to frustration at the lack of clarity about which under-23 races are still likely to take place.

Merckx has been the director of a U.S.-based UCI Continental-level team for many years. His team serves as a training ground for up-and-coming young riders (many of them American), who have the opportunity to ride in European races under Merckx, from the 2019 Hagens Berman Axion team to the 2020 WorldTour team, Ian Garrison of the United States and Joao Almeida of Portugal, who moved to Dečuninck Quick Step, and Mikkel Bjerg of Denmark, who moved to the UAE Team Emirates.

"It's very frustrating," Merckx told Sporza on Wednesday. 'Everyone is trying to make something happen to keep the U23 riders running for a few races.'

"I've been in touch with the race organizers, but they themselves don't know what's going on. Almost all my riders are from the US. When can they come [to Europe]? Where can they run?

"There are some races on the calendar that have been cancelled, but apparently there is a possibility that some races that are not on the calendar will be held," Merckx continued. 'We expect that to become clearer in the coming weeks.'

However, Merckx also noted that despite the fact that he and other U23 riders have missed the majority of the 2020 season, meaning they have missed multiple opportunities to showcase their abilities to WorldTour teams, interested teams have already given such riders in previous seasons We believe that interested teams should have already had a glimpse of what they are looking for in such riders in the previous season.

"If the WorldTour teams have done their homework, they should more or less already know who is good and who will fit in with the team. The U23s have been holding their own for the last four years since they came up from the juniors, so it's going to be a good time to see who's going to be the best."

It has also been noted that the age category may be extended by one year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. U23 team, Eboro, will become an "under 24" team starting in 2021 to "give the 22-year-olds some mental comfort," sporting director Michael Creed said in late March, although Merckx actually opposes the idea.

"You have to draw the line somewhere," he said. I'd like to see [this season] continue for a few more months so the young riders can get some results. That way we can maintain the status quo."

In related news, French newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré reported this week that the Tour de Savoie-Mont-Blanc and Tour de l'Avenir - two major stage races that are testing grounds for young riders, both past 2019 Tour de France champion won by Eoghan Bernal (Team Ineos) - will be held August 5-8 and August 18-23, respectively, the report said.

Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo Visma has signed the winners of both 2019 races for the 2020 season: Tobias Foss of the Uno-X Norwegian Development Team won the Tour de Lavenir as part of the Norwegian national team and and Australian climber Chris Harper of Team Bridge Lane won the Tour Savoie Mont-Blanc.