2020 Sea Otter Classic postponed due to coronavirus
Just one day after saying that the organization was “monitoring the coronavirus situation”, the organizers of the Sea Otter Classic have now announced that this year’s event at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California will be postponed.
Respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (the official name for the novel coronavirus that is currently wreaking havoc worldwide) are generally considered to be more easily-spread among larger indoor gatherings than outdoor ones like Sea Otter. However, given the international nature of Sea Otter, not to mention the sheer number of participants and close social contacts associated with trade shows and races of this nature, prompted the organizer to pull the plug on the mid-April timeslot.
A statement issued by Frank Yohannan, Sea Otter Classic’s president and CEO, reads:
“
After a thorough review of the coronavirus threat, we’ve decided to reschedule April’s Sea Otter Classic. Additionally, People for Bikes and Sea Otter Classic will reschedule the Bicycle Leadership Conference.We are coordinating with local authorities to determine the best dates to host the 2020 Sea Otter Classic and Bicycle Leadership Conference. We anticipate announcing those dates by the middle of next week.
Information regarding registration refunds and rollovers will be posted on our website once the new dates have been finalized.
Although Sea Otter hasn’t yet announced even an estimate as to when the 2020 event might occur, a look at the official event calendar for Laguna Seca suggests that some time around September or October would be the earliest possible window. That said, even the blocks on the calendar that don’t have an event scheduled are earmarked for “necessary track maintenance”,so while a trade expo could theoretically move forward, it’s unclear if any road races or similar events would be held. Moreover, pushing Sea Otter that far out brings it into the calendar orbit of the Eurobike trade show (assuming that goes on as planned), which then calls into question the relevance of the show in general.
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