The Sweet Spot Group has announced that the 2020 edition of the Women's Tour, scheduled for June 8-13, will be postponed due to international unrest surrounding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Sweet Spot Group also organizes the Tour Series, a series of circuit races in the UK that were scheduled to take place on various dates in May, and has postponed these events and the UCI Women's World Tour stage races.
"After consultation with officials, sponsors and partners, the organizers of the Women's Tour have decided to postpone the upcoming 7th edition of the Pro Cycle Race (June 8-13) due to international unrest surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
"The decision was made early in light of the worsening global situation after consultation with race officials and partners to provide certainty to the many stakeholders involved in the planning and running of the event, including UK local authorities, police and health services.
"As part of the UCI Women's World Tour, the Women's Tour has a significant international presence, including teams, riders, officials, staff, media and spectators, and the risk of increased international travel restrictions if an early and definitive decision is not taken is detrimental to the future of the race It is considered to be detrimental to the future of the race."
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"The organizers hope to work with the UCI and British Cycling to find alternative dates in the international cycling calendar on which the race can take place, if circumstances allow."
"The race will be held on the same dates as the UCI and British Cycling.
The Women's WorldTour series, including the Tour of Chongmin Island, Strade Bianche, Bebrising Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda postponed, Drydags Bruges des Pannees, and Ghent-Wevelgem, have all been affected by the coronavirus There were many cancellations and postponements due to health and safety precautions surrounding the epidemic. The Tour of California was cancelled last year for financial reasons.
In November, the Sweet Spot Group announced that its previous title sponsor, OVO Energy, had ended its title sponsorship of the event and was looking for a new major funder. However, Sweet Spot and British Cycling have committed to run the event for another 10 years and said they are looking for a title brand that aligns with their long-term plans.
The Women's Tour debuted as a 2.1 event in 2014, but joined the Women's World Tour in 2016 and quickly rose to the top level of professional bicycle racing. The following year, when OVO Energy became the title sponsor, the event became one of the most attractive races in the series; in 2018, OVO Energy brought the prize money of the Women's Tour on par with the Tour of Britain; in 2019, the peloton competed for €97,880. The race was also expanded to six stages.
Past winners of the Women's Tour include Marianne Vos (2014), Lisa Brennauer (2015), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (2017), Colin Rivera (2018), and Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019).
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