The loss of the only UCI Women's World Tour race in North America, in addition to the men's race, was a particular blow following AEG's announcement that the Amgen Tour of California would be "suspended" until 2020.

Speculation quickly circulated on social media that the race's troubles were related to a new California law, AB467, sponsored by former racer Katherine Bertin.

After the law was passed in September, Michael Ross, AEG's vice president of communications, told Cyclingnews that he believed the race's current model of equal prize money for men and women when racing on the same day would comply with the new law. 2019, men and women will have three stages shared.

However, Bertin speculated that AB467 might have affected the Tour of California because the women raced only three of the seven days.

"This bill would provide the platform needed to make changes to the Tour of California.

"Equal pay for equal play is a two-part equation. So if a woman is only paid "equally" for three days and is not allowed to work seven days, that is not equal."

AEG did not comment on the factors that led to Tuesday's race suspension, but it is unlikely that the prize money, a small part of the event's multi-million dollar budget, was a significant aspect of the decision.

Bertin, in addition to pushing for the passage of AB 467, also urged the Tour de France organizer ASO (which is also the technical producer of the Tour of California) to give women a place on the big stage of the Tour de France, She was instrumental in encouraging ASO (also the technical producer of the Tour of California) to organize La Course by Tour de France to give women a place in the big stage of the Tour de France.

She said she was a big fan of the Tour of California and hoped it would be the first stage race with gender equality in 2020.

"There are statistics and data to prove that women's professional racing is gaining attention, has supporters, and has great economic value as a return on investment," Bertine told Cycling News.

"I hope AEG and ASO will listen to the fans and the data and create equity. The Tour of California will ultimately find greater benefits, broader support, and lucrative investments by including women equally."

"I am hopeful that the race is only temporarily suspended and the door remains open for an equitable event.

A more likely factor is the increased cost of securing the 1,251 km of open road across California. California is currently experiencing catastrophic wildfires spreading across both Northern and Southern California, resulting in massive evacuations and increased police and firefighting costs. The host city may be reluctant to provide significant funding for the race, and overburdened emergency services may be stretched thin and unable to devote resources to the event.

In addition to the costs of closing roads, race organizers face many other costs, including fees to the UCI, anti-doping, costs to attract and house World Tour teams, and production costs for live television and Internet streaming video.

Cycling has continued to struggle to find a business model that can support the costs of stage racing.

With the suspension of WorldTour men's races, there are now only two WorldTour one-day races in North America, GP Quebec and GP Montreal, and only one major UCI men's stage race, the Tour of Utah.

The suspension of the Amgen women's race means that there will be no North American women's WorldTour race, leaving only two remaining UCI-class stage races on the North American continent: the 2.1-ranked Colorado Classic and the 2.2-ranked Jo Martin stage race.

"I think the 'hiatus' has the potential to be a good thing," Bertin told Cycling News. Instead of ending or canceling the Tour of California, "a hiatus could give AEG and ASO the opportunity to come back strong in 2021."