Officials of the Colorado Classic women’s bike race, who said last month that the four-day event would be because of the coronavirus, backtracked on Friday and announced the race would be canceled entirely because of “COVID safety concerns.”
“We had great confidence in the COVID-19 mitigation plan we had developed for the race, and we were well on our way to becoming the first professional women’s bike race to be held in the U.S. since the onset of the COVID pandemic,” Lucy Diaz, chief executive of RPM Events Group which organizes the event, said in a news release. “However, as the pandemic appears to be spiking again across the U.S., and after discussion with our various stakeholders, we feel it is the most prudent decision to cancel the race for 2020.”
The race was scheduled Aug. 27-30, with stages planned for Snowmass Village, Avon, Boulder and Denver. It was expected to attract some of the world’s best women riders.
“We would only hold the race if we thought it was a safe, healthy environment for the athletes and that all stakeholders felt fully comfortable to move forward,” Diaz said. “At this time we do not have full confidence from all stakeholders, so we will pivot our energy and efforts to continue to support the women’s peloton through our other initiatives.”
as a “Made for TV Streaming” model. At the time, race organizers made it clear that they did not want to cancel the race because it would deprive riders income amid the pandemic. To make up for that now, they are organizing a .
