The races, scheduled for April 11, have been under threat following new COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown restrictions in northern France introduced at the last weekend.

Le Parisien reported that a final decision has been made that the events cannot go ahead. Race organiser ASO has not yet commented on the matter but reports suggest the postponement of the race, possibly to an end-of-season October date, will be made today.

If ASO confirm the calling-off of Paris-Roubaix, it will make it the third time in the space of 12 months that the race has been called off, after the 2020 edition was postponed amid the first wave of the pandemic, and then called off entirely when a second wave struck at the time of the rescheduled October date.

The 2021 edition is likely to be postponed, rather than cancelled outright, with ASO to seek a new date later in the year. There is extra time to do so, with the UCI extending the end of the season from October 19 to October 31 “in case of other postponements this year”.

After the only UCI Nations’ Cup race was organized by Hungary last year, this year the national team has the opportunity to start in all races, including the iconic French race called “Northern Hell”.