ASO`s Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege included in 2020 Women`s WorldTour
(Cyclingnews.com)

The UCI announced the 22 races that will make up the 2020 Women`s WorldTour that will include Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, despite ASO`s recent threat to pull the two races from the top-tier calendar if they were forced to provide the 45 minutes of live TV coverage mandated by the UCI.  The UCI confirmed in its announcement, however, that all organisers had accepted the new criteria for the Women`s WorldTour reforms. That would suggest that ASO is now onboard with the 45 minutes of live TV coverage, but a representative of ASO told Cyclingnews earlier this month that the issue surrounding mandatory live TV coverage was still a `work-in-progress`. The UCI also told Cyclingnews earlier this month that the discussion over mandatory TV coverage is on-going but that mandatory live TV coverage would remain part of the criteria for being a Women`s WorldTour event.ADVERTISEMENT `In line with our strategy to develop women`s professional road cycling, one of the conditions required of organisers for their event to be registered in the UCI Women`s WorldTour from next season will be to provide a minimum of 45 minutes live television coverage,` a representative of the UCI told Cyclingnews. The UCI announced the Women`s WorldTour calendar after last week`s meetings of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) and the UCI Management Committee in Lavey-les-Bains, Switzerland. Women`s WorldTour to start in Australia The 2020 Women`s WorldTour will start at the beginning of February in Australia with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race Women, which will open the women`s professional road cycling season. The top-tier calendar began in 2016 and had traditionally begun in Italy at Strade Bianche, which will now mark the second round of the series in March. 2020 UCI Women`s WorldTour Calendar: February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race- Elite Women´s Race (Australia) March 7: Strade Bianche (Italy) March 15: Ronde van Drenthe - UCI Women´s W ...