Organizers of the Tour of Cambridgeshire, a UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifying event, announced on Tuesday that the 2023 edition will be the last one.

“…we feel now is the right time to close the door on the Tour of Cambridgeshire,” organizer Malcolm Smith announced via press release.

Since 2015 the event has been the biggest on the UCI Gran Fondo World Series calendar, qualifying more amateur gran fondo riders for the world championships each year than any other event.

“In the years since we began the event thousands of riders have enjoyed taking to the closed roads of the county, with many of them qualifying for and subsequently competing at the Gran Fondo Worlds where the Tour of Cambridgeshire has consistently provided the largest travelling participation.  It has given us a huge sense of satisfaction to know that we had a hand in opening up this opportunity for amateur and age group racing cyclists from Britain,” Smith added.

Organizing the event for upwards of 10,000 cyclists each year has been challenging though. COVID-19 forced two editions to cancel and in 2019 the organizer left thousands of participants high and dry, with aid stations running out of water.

The final Tour of Cambridgeshire, 2-4 June, will offer the same road and time trial events as in past editions, allowing riders that finish in the top 25% of their age/gender category to qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships taking place in Scotland next August.

So far, no other amateur events on the island of Great Britain have announced plans to replace the Tour of Cambridgeshire on the 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Series calendar.

Photo Credit: Golazo Cycling

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