Colorado Classic cancels 2021 event, plans return in 2022
Organizers of the women's only four-day stage race cite ongoing uncertainty regarding the pandemic for the cancelation.
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The Colorado Classic will spend a second year on the sidelines.
The four-day stage race in Colorado is the latest cancelation in pro cycling despite having created a comprehensive guide to racing amid the pandemic last year.
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After a successful kickoff in 2019, the organizers of the women’s-only stage race published an extensive COVID-19 mitigation plan that included an innovative live racing model in order to make a 2020 event possible. However, due to ongoing concerns about health and safety, the 2020 event was ultimately canceled.
Now, with the 2021 race season looming, the pandemic remains and its trajectory is uncertain. As such, organizers decided to not push forward with a 2021 event.
“In 2020, we spent months working tirelessly in conjunction with state, county, and city organizations, health authorities, and the sports governing bodies to come up with a COVID mitigation plan that would ensure the health and safety [of] everyone,” said Ken Gart, Chairman of RPM Events Group, the organizers of the Colorado Classic. “In the end, the most prudent decision was still to cancel the event. With the current situation being just as uncertain as it was last year, we don’t think it makes sense — financial or otherwise — to organize a 2021 event and risk another cancellation.”
After canceling last year’s event, the organizers created a host of other events and programs to keep the stoke for women’s racing high. From athlete webinars to an inspirational speaker series and a fundraising ride on Zwift, the Colorado Classic presented creative ways to keep the cycling world engaged during a trying time while furthering its mission be more than a race and act as a movement to change the world through the power of women’s sport.
Gart says that the mission remains.
“Let me assure you that our commitment to women’s cycling is as strong as ever,” he said. “We continue to believe that the Colorado Classic can evolve into one of the most powerful platforms in women’s sport and we will work on achieving that goal as we set our sights on 2022.”