British riders make up the largest contingent of racers at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships every year, but that won’t happen in 2021. The UCI Tour of Cambridgeshire, where hundreds of British riders qualify for the World Championships, is no longer part of the 2021 UCI Gran Fondo World Series.
The event, a UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifying race, originally schedule 6 June has been cancelled and a new tentative date of Sunday 26 September has been announced, three weeks after the 2021 World Championships.
“Following extensive consultations with all key stakeholders, event partners, suppliers, and the UCI, the Tour of Cambridgeshire 2021 has been moved,” organiser Golazo Sports revealed.
“In line with the decision-making process outlined in communications earlier this year, the event organisers have determined that due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, government regulations and pressure on the NHS and wider healthcare system, it will not be possible to safely and responsibly host a mass-participation event with thousands of participants as well as hundreds of staff and suppliers in June of this year.”
The UCI and Golazo Sports (organiser of both Tour of Cambridgeshire and the Gran Fondo World Championships) have not commented on whether the new September event will be part of the 2022 Gran Fondo World Series and qualify riders for the 2022 Gran Fondo World Championships scheduled in Trento, Italy.
On the World Championship implications, Golazo Sports offered only vague comments, “The UCI are considering options for the World Championships. Updates will be communicated with riders as soon as more information becomes available from the UCI.”
This is the second year in a row the Tour of Cambridgeshire has been affected by the pandemic after being cancelled in 2020.
Also, UCI Gran Fondo Around Samcheok in Korea announced it cannot be held on it’s originally scheduled date of 2 May. The organizers hope to reschedule the race later in the season before the World Championships.
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