Eddie Dunbar would have absolutely loved the course for the European U23 road race and time-trial championships in Nice next month but the event has been cancelled because of fears of fresh terrorist attacks.
By Brian Canty
It has been confirmed that this year’s European Championships scheduled for the middle of next month (September 14-18) have been cancelled because of security concerns in the host city of Nice.
Following last month’s terror attack in the city where 85 people were killed and hundreds were injured, mayor Philippe Pradal made the disappointing announcement to the media this afternoon.
“Given it was an event that would have required a large police presence and that we have not received any guarantees about their deployment, the cycling championships that Nice was due to hold in France's name are cancelled,” he said at a press conference.
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At the time of publication, the head of the European Cycling Union David Lappartient said that an alternative venue was being sought, be it in or outside France, but nothing yet has been firmed up.
“We intend to maintain the European championships on the same dates. We are working on two possibilities, one in France, the other outside France,” he said.
For now, it can only be seen as a huge blow to the Irish riders who would have been travelling there with high hopes of a result.
Eddie Dunbar (Axeons Hagens Berman) and Michael O’Loughlin (Team WIGGINS) would have been two obvious contenders in both the time-trial and the road race, particularly as both courses featured the type of terrain they usually go well on.
It would also have been a good chance for Ryan Mullen to test himself against the best time-trial specialists in the world as he was due to take part in the elite test against the clock.
The championships had previously been solely for junior and under-23 riders but elite riders were set to take part this year for the first time.
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