USA Cycling delays confirming Olympic long team due to civil unrest

National governing body postpones Tuesday's announcement, posts in support of Black Lives Matter movement.

The Team USA Womens Team Pursuit posted the fastest qualifying time at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Photo: Courtesy USA Cycling

VeloNews.com

Published June 2, 2020 03:13AM

USA Cycling has delayed its planned announcement of the 2021 Olympic road, track and mountain bike long teams due to the unrest rippling through the nation.

USAC was due to confirm its selection for Tokyo’s Games on Tuesday, but as protests and riots grip the nation following the death of George Floyd while being restrained by Minneapolis police, the national body has put the news on pause.

USAC posted to its social media Monday in support of the #blacklivesmatter movement, while holding up its hand to past errors.

“As a leader of the American cycling community, USA Cycling understands we have been a part of the problem in the inequality and representation in our sport,” read the statement. “No amount of talk can change the past, we must use our position to take action to embrace, lift up and ride with the Black members of our cycling family to ensure equality, equity, transparency and dignity.”

Because #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ctSY607tO0
— USA Cycling (@usacycling) June 1, 2020

The Games were postponed from their planned August 2020 slot to 2021 due to concerns about coronavirus.

“We believe we had a good team that would have competed in Tokyo this year,” Jim Miller, chief of sport performance at USAC had said this weekend. “With an extra year to prepare we believe we will have a great team.”

VeloNews.com will provide further information on the Olympic announcement as and when it becomes available.

Olympic Games USA Cycling

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