The Leinster title is a coveted one but today's race was called off on the morning of the event. Above, Aaron Buggle beats Damien Shaw to the elite crown back in 2011 (Photo: Slaney CC)
Leinster Road Race Championships 2018 cancelled
Provincial championships Sunday suffered a set-back before it began today with news the Leinster title race had been called off.
It only emerged this morning that the Leinster Championships, which were being promoted by Cuchulainn CC in Co Louth, had been cancelled.
The last-minute cancellation of the race was forced on the club because it did not have the first aid cover it needed.
It appears the club only became aware late on Saturday night that the first aid cover was not going to be available.
And because the region where the championships were to take place been hit by bursts of torrential rain, the club decided not to take any chances.
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Reluctantly it made the decision very early this morning to call off the race, with statements announcing the news circulated on social media.
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“Following the withdrawal of first aid cover and in light of the poor weather conditions we have been forced to cancel today's race,” it said.
The race was the Trader’s Cup and was set to double as the Leinster Championships. The Trader’s Cup has normally been an early season race.
However, it was moved towards the end of the season as part of Cycling Ireland’s bid to redistribute events so the road race season can be sustained for longer.
The cancellation today follows the South East Road Club promotion that was in the calendar for yesterday also being called off.
And yesterday that meant the only road race on in the Republic was the Connacht Championships.
The Ulster, Leinster and Munster road race championships were all scheduled for today.
We’ll have news later of the three title races that did go ahead.
It remained unclear at the time of writing if the Leinster title event could be rescheduled for the weeks ahead before the 2018 campaign ends.
The withdrawal of the ambulance cover for today’s planned race would likely have had implications for insurance if the race went ahead and any serious incidents occurred.
Some riders on social media complained they had travelled from other parts of the country and stayed overnight in preparation.
They were displeased the race was called off at such short notice. However, Cuchulainn Cycling Club have run the race for years without interruption.
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