Elia Viviani (Cofidis) is hopeful that Milan-San Remo will be moved to August 22 after the the UCI Management Committee and Professional Cycling Council meet next month to discuss adjustments to the revised calendar.
Milan-San Remo, which was postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, is currently scheduled for August 8, though RCS Sport have requested La Classicissima to be moved to August 22, a week before the start of the Tour de France. A decision is expected on June 10.
“I would definitely prefer it. I’d have more time to prepare for it and it would be closer to the Tour, which starts on August 29,” Viviani told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian will not decide on his racing schedule until a date has been finalised for Milan-San Remo on the new calendar. If Milan-San Remo remains in its current slot, he will resume competition early, perhaps at La La Route d'Occitanie (August 1-4).
“In any case, Milan-San Remo couldn’t be the first race back,” Viviani said. “If it’s on August 8, I could do some smaller races first. A short stage race would be useful, like Occitanie at the beginning of August.
“On the other hand, if Milan-San Remo is on August 22, it could be the Tour de Pologne, though it seems it will have a tough route, like the Dauphiné. In short, it’s still a puzzle.”
Viviani’s immediate plans are more concrete. He will train for a month in Livigno, starting from June 22, which will be his longest stint at altitude since the build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympics, where he won gold in the omnium.
He will hope to defend that title in the Tokyo Olympics, rescheduled for next year, but his principal target in 2020 will be the Tour de France, where he will aim to end Cofidis’ twelve-year drought without a stage win.
Viviani suggested last week that he planned to ride the Giro d’Italia (October 3-25) after the Tour, but he told La Gazzetta that his programme is yet to be confirmed given that the corsa rosa clashes with the cobbled Classics on the revised UCI calendar.
“Nothing is decided,” Viviani said. “I’ll weigh things up during and at the end of the Tour, according to how I feel. Last year, my post-Tour form was excellent. With the same level, I could be competitive in Gent-Wevelgem, De Panne, Flanders. But, as an Italian, obviously I want to go to the Giro if it’s doable.”
