There will be no WorldTour races in North America in 2021
For the second straight year, North America will be without any WorldTour races. The UCI and the organizers of the GP Québec and GP Montréal announced on Thursday that both events would be cancelled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The pair of one-days in Canada had been scheduled to take place on September 10 and 12, respectively. As originally planned, they were set to follow the inaugural edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic, giving those teams that had intended to start all three events a lengthier stretch of racing in North America.
The Maryland Cycling Classic remains on the calendar, but the Canadian GPs will no longer be held this season.
“Over the last few months, we have been considering different scenarios in constant liaison with the governments involved and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in the hope that we could organize our races in compliance with health protocols and ensuring everyone’s safety,” race director Sébastien Arsenault said in a statement. “As of today, the organizers of major Canadian events still have no guarantees that the public health regulations needed to hold the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal will be in effect at the end of the summer. There are still too many uncertainties regarding the opening of borders, mandatory quarantine and conditions for large gatherings.”
The announcement marks the second straight year that the races have been cancelled. With no other North American events on the WorldTour calendar after the disappearance of the Amgen Tour of California, the western hemisphere has not hosted a road race at cycling’s highest level since 2019.
Tadej Pogacar won the men’s race at that year’s Tour of California, while Anna van der Breggen took the women’s race, and then Michael Matthews won the GP Québec with Greg Van Avermaet taking the GP Montréal.
In its press release announcing the news, the UCI emphasized that both of the Canadian GPs are on the WorldTour calendar for 2022.
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