The FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope team has announced that it will not be participating in the three-day Serratizit Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, which brings the curtain down on the women's World Tour season next week, due to safety concerns for its riders and staff.

The Serratizit Challenge by La Vuelta 2020 is scheduled to take place November 6-8 and will coincide with the final stage of the men's Vuelta a España. However, the event has been questioned due to the severe restrictions on COVID-19 in many parts of Spain, especially in Madrid, where the number of cases of the disease is particularly high.

The Serratigit Challenge by La Vuelta is being organized by Unipublic and ASO, organizers of the Tour de France; it was announced in May that the race will last three days, but no details of the route have been released.

France launched a nationwide blockade on Friday, which was also a factor in FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine's decision not to participate in the race.

"In light of the latest government announcement and the evolution of the pandemic, we have made the decision not to take any risks for our cyclists and staff," the team said in a brief announcement on social media.

"As such, we have decided to cancel our participation in the La Vuelta challenge, which will take place from November 6 to 8. We thank the organizers for their understanding as they fight to protect the race and wish all participating teams success and safety."

Last year's race consisted of two stages, with Lisa Brennauer taking the overall win.

The rescheduled 2020 women's season has suffered many late cancellations in recent weeks. For the first time ever, the women's Paris-Roubaix was canceled, as was the Brittany Ladies Tour of France.

Lorena Wiebes became the last World Tour winner when she won the AG Driederage Bourges des Pannes on October 20, two days after Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak won the Women's Tour of Flanders.