Coronavirus: Deceuninck-QuickStep believe it is safe to race Paris-Nice

Deceuninck-QuickStep’s Julian Alaphilippe at the 2020 Tour Colombia 2.1
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

The Deceuninck-QuickStep team have named Julian Alaphilippe, Sam Bennett, Kasper Asgreen and Bob Jungels in their line-up for Paris-Nice, with team manager Patrick Lefevere saying he has faith in the belief of local authorities and race organisers that it is safe to race across France despite the spread of the coronavirus.

Movistar, CCC, UAE Team Emirates, Team Ineos, Astana, Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma have all opted not to ride Paris-Nice and will not gather near Paris for Sunday's opening road race stage, but Deceuninck-QuickStep have confirmed they are ready to race. Riders and staff began arriving in France on Friday afternoon.

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.