The 2020 Tour of Britain has been postponed with this year’s route to be used in 2021 instead.
With the coronavirus pandemic and a latest review of government information, organisers have said that planning and organisation of the race has been “impractical”. New dates for the race to take place from the 5-12 September 2021 have also been released.
In a following statement, organisers have said: “Across the UK there are significant doubts around the potential to stage large-scale public events and gatherings such as the Tour of Britain as early as September and while any form of social distancing remains in place and there isn’t a vaccine available, people’s health and safety must come first”.
Organisers have also gone on to say that “local authority partners across Britain remain under considerable pressure with their priorities rightly elsewhere and so would not be able to contribute fully to the planning of the event, whilst also not being in a position to maximise the social, economic and community benefits that hosting a stage of the Tour of Britain brings to their area”.
The Tour of Britain has also said that it “will be working with our local authority partners to explore the ways in which the Tour of Britain and its planned venues can still be celebrated this September and look forward to announcing those plans in due course”.
The option of racing behind closed doors with social distancing measures have been dismissed as it would “rob our venues and spectators of these opportunities and go against everything that cycling, as a free-to-spectate and accessible event, stands for”.
Original dates for 2020 were the 6-12 September with the Tour starting in Cornwall for the first time before finishing in Aberdeen. The full route is now due to be unveiled this September instead.
Featured image courtesy of tourofbritain.co.uk
THE CHAIN GANG 