The revised men's race calendar, scheduled for August through November, may be rewritten again after questions were raised about the national championship road races to be held on the weekend of August 22-23. The Italian Cycling Federation has asked the UCI to change Il Lombardia from late October to August 8, Milan-San Remo to August 22, and the national championships to October 31.

The UCI released a new World Tour calendar last week, which attempts to bring together the Pro Series races in Italy, France, and other countries into a complete race calendar.

Major WorldTour teams are expected to run some of these races concurrently with the WorldTour calendar as riders seek to compete in preparation for the Grand Tours and major classics. However, traveling between countries can be problematic, and the UCI is continuing discussions with team doctors about medical protocols to protect riders and staff.

Any race will only be held if it is sanctioned by the government or local authorities and the health of the public and athletes is guaranteed. This calendar revision was designed to provide hope and goals for teams, riders, and sponsors during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The idea of holding races behind closed doors or with tightly regulated spectator attendance could have a major impact on race organizers' plans and budgets. Filippo Pozzato, one of the organizers of the Italian national championships, was quick to realize that his new fan-friendly format would not work if crowds were not allowed to gather along the roadside at cycling celebrations. 2020's Dutch national road championships have already cancelled, and the Belgian and French national championships are also in jeopardy.

The Italian Cycling Federation is trying to save the day by moving the Tricolore weekend event to October. This will shuffle the August races as part of the new Italian calendar, as it will free up the August dates for other races. The final race dates will be determined by the UCI and the full calendar will be released on or before May 20.

"There are still many doubts about the recovery from the COVID-19 emergency, but with the UCI asking us to redesign the calendar, we have created one that allows us to look to the future with optimism," Enzo Ghigo of Lega del Ciclismo Professionistico Enzo Ghigo of Lega del Ciclismo Professionistico said.

"We want August to be filled with classics such as Il Lombardia, Milan - Sanremo, Milan - Turin, and Giro delle Miglia that we can use to prepare for the Giro d'Italia, the World Championships, and the northern cobbled classics.

The Italian race calendar will focus on World Tour races and provide a three-month block of races for Italian professional teams and other teams wishing to race in Italy between August and November.

Strade Bianche on Saturday, August 1 has been confirmed as the first race of the new season, with Milano-Torino (Wednesday, August 5) and Il Lombardia (Saturday, August 8) being the tough opening weeks. After that, there will be a series of one-day races from mid-August until the start of the Giro d'Italia on October 3. Milan-San Remo will be held on August 22, and other races will be held before and after Tirreno-Adriatico (September 7-14).

The Italian National Championships will be the last Italian race of 2020 and will be held on the weekend of October 31-November 1. However, this date coincides with the final week of the Vuelta a España, so riders selected for the Spanish Grand Tour will not be able to compete for the Tricolore jersey. 0]

August 1: Strade Bianche

August 5: Milan - Turin

August 8: Il Lombardia

August 18: Giro delle Miglia

August 20: Gran Piemonte

August 22: Milan - San Remo

August 28: Trofeo Matteotti

August 29: Marco Pantani memorial

Milan - Sanremo

August 28: Trofeo Matteotti

August 29: Marco Pantani memorial

August 31 - September 4: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali

September 5: G. P. Industria & Artigianato Larcianese

September 7-14: Tirreno - Adriatico

September 16: Giro della Toscana - Memorial Alfredo Martini

September 17: Coppa Sabatini - Gran Sabatini

September 22: Legione Lombardia

9 September 3-25: Giro d'Italia

October 31-November 1: Italian National Championships