Cycling’s Tour of California on Hiatus for 2020
No decision yet on whether to restart race in 2021
Posted On: October 29, 2019 By :The Amgen Tour of California, a staple on the cycling scene since 2006 and part of the UCI WorldTour calendar, will go on hiatus for the 2020 season with its fate for 2021 still unclear.
The race was the only U.S.-based event for both men and women on the UCI calendar and according to Beacon Economics, had contributed more than $3.5 billion to the California economy. Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia won the 2019 men’s race and reigning world champion Anna van der Breggen won the women’s race. The eight-day race was first held in February before moving to May in 2010, where it has since stayed.
“This has been a very difficult decision to make, but the business fundamentals of the Amgen Tour of California have changed since we launched the race 14 years ago,” said Kristin Klein, president of the tour and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “While professional cycling globally continues to grow and we are very proud of the work we have done to increase the relevance of professional cycling, particularly in the United States, it has become more challenging each year to mount the race. This new reality has forced us to re-evaluate our options and we are actively assessing every aspect of our event to determine if there is a business model that will allow us to successfully relaunch the race in 2021.”
Past men’s race champions have included Tour de France championship Egan Bernal and Bradley Wiggins; as well as Tour de France stage winners George Bennett, Levi Leipheimer, Michael Rogers, Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish and Tejay van Garderen. The women’s race has featured competitors such as three-time Olympic gold medal winner Kristin Armstrong, Olympic silver medalist Chloe Dygert and Coryn Rivera.
“On behalf of USA Cycling, I would like to thank AEG, Kristin and her team for providing an outstanding showcase for the sport in America and for our American Athletes,” said Bob Stapleton, chairman of USA Cycling. “We stand ready to help rally additional support and resources in the hopes of resuming this event in 2021.”
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