It is with great disappointment that British Cycling can today announce that the 2021 HSBC UK | National Cyclo-cross Championships have been cancelled, due to the continuing uncertainty and travel disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last month the national governing body announced that the national championships for cyclo-cross and track would no longer take place on their planned dates, but that it was exploring alternative dates in the calendar in order to potentially reschedule.
While a number of alternative options have been considered, the timings of the cyclo-cross season – along with the restrictive travel measures which look set to continue in England, Scotland and Wales until the spring – have left no other option but to cancel the HSBC UK | National Cyclo-cross Championships. The decision has been taken at this time following conversations with the Cyclo-cross Commission, event organisers and British Cycling staff, and with the intention of providing certainty to riders, teams and volunteers heading into the new year.
British Cycling understands that this news will come as a great disappointment to many riders who have been preparing for the event over the course of this year, and significant efforts have gone into enabling it to take place. Despite the cancellation, British Cycling is encouraging riders to continue to get involved in local and regional racing opportunities, which can be found through its online Event Finder, and support the event organisers who are continuing to deliver events and leagues throughout the remainder of the season.
British Cycling’s Cycling Delivery Director, Dani Every, said:
“We understand that today’s announcement will come as a huge disappointment to the cyclo-cross community, especially those riders who have been preparing for this event over recent months. We share this disappointment and frustration, however I hope that the decision at least provides riders, parents and teams with some certainty as we move into 2021.
“While we are confident in our ability to safely run large-scale events – as demonstrated at the first round of the HSBC UK | Cyclo-cross National Trophy in Cumbria – the fact that we now have millions of people in England in Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas and tight restrictions on travel in Scotland and Wales has made planning a national-level event at this stage impossible.
“Though many will have been training and racing with this event in the forefront of their mind, a number of event organisers and leagues are continuing to plan local and regional events across the country and need your support. While we understand that the uncertainty and cancellations are difficult we are encouraged by the prospects for racing in 2021 and we’re sure that riders will be keen to make up for lost time.
“With that in mind, we look forward to soon announcing the dates and venues for the 2021/22 Cyclo-cross National Trophy Series and 2022 Cyclo-cross National Championships, as we begin a process of recovery for all cycle sport activity across the disciplines in 2021 and present our comprehensive, long-term plans to support them at all levels.”
Discussions on rescheduling the 2021 HSBC UK | National Track Championships for a later date in the year continue, and an update will be published in due course.
