ED'S LETTER

Over its 113-year history, Milan-san Remo has been cancelled only three times. The first was in 1916 during the First World War; the second and third times in 1944 and 1945 for the Second World War. The fact that it has been cancelled again in 2020 (or postponed, at least) can mean only one thing: the Third World War is here. On this occasion, however, the global terror is not an invading army, but a particularly nasty variant of the flu virus, which is no respecter of borders and seems selfishly unconcerned about the road racing calendar. In fact, it’s tempting to think the coronavirus is singling out cycling, what with its primary targets being China and northern Italy, the former being where much of the bicycle manufacturing industry is based, and the latter being the spiritual home of cycling.

At the time of writing it is still uncertain whether the corona situation will turn out to be a short-term setback or a long-term disaster. Certainly, the effect on the cycling industry could be catastrophic. As well as races being cancelled (what chance the Giro d’italia going ahead as planned?) and riders being isolated in their hotel rooms, trade events and product launches are being postponed, travel is being curtailed and businesses are being warned to expect another recession, meaning a slump in sales of luxury goods – ie, road bikes.

Is there any good news at all? Well, no matter how bad it gets you will still be able to ride your bike. Apparently a solo ride is still on the cards even for those in self-isolation (just forgo the usual cafe stop). Plus, Cyclist will continue to bring you great rides from around the world, thanks to the fact we stockpiled a bunch of them last year – just like loo rolls. So you can still get your fix of foreign rides even if you are trapped on your sofa.