Organizers of the Tour of Lakeland UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifying event in Finland have announced the event will not take place this year, siting difficult organizational and staffing challenges.

The event was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, returned in 2022 with 230 participants and hoped to take place 14-15 July 2023 in Lahti.

It is the second 2023 Gran Fondo World Championship Series qualifying event to cancel. In January Canada’s Velo.Victo.Fest was cancelled due to staffing issues and disappointing participation, with 230 only riders competing in 2022 and 139 in 2021.

16 opportunities remain for amateurs to qualify for the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships taking place in Scotland next August. Riders finishing in the top 25% of their age/gender category at a qualifying event automatically gain entry. Neusiedler See Radmarathon in Austria with over 2000 participants on Sunday 23 April and 66 Dégres Sud in France the following weekend are next.

Photo Credit: Facebook/Tour of Lakeland

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