Carrick Wheelers has taken the decision to cancel its popular St Patrick's Day races in Carrick-on-Suir due to the coronavirus COVID-19.
The club confirmed the news with a brief statement on social media just hours after the first cancellation of Irish races due to the virus was announced.
Clonard Road Club has scrapped Rás Naomh Finian, which was due to take place in Co Kildare on Saturday.
The number of cases of COVID-19 has increased in Ireland and the first death from the virus, of an elderly person with cancer, was also confirmed today.
Panduit Carrick Wheelers cited the “escalating developments” related to the coronavirus when announcing its decision to cancel its racing, which had been due to take place next Tuesday, March 17th.
“The decision was not taken lightly,” it said. “But the club believes at this critical time and juncture that the health and well-being of others has to be put first.”
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Carrick Wheelers chairman, Tom O’Connell, spoke at the club’s committee meeting on Wednesday evening and commented on the decision to cancel the races.
“We feel it is in the interests of safety for our riders,
marshals, supporters and the wider Clonea-Carrick community and the communities
of the visiting riders that we postpone the race until the situation becomes clearer,”
he said.
“It was a tough decision to make but I just believe that
we have to lead on this and be socially conscious; to put people’s health and
safety to the fore during this difficult time.”
He added the club appreciated people’s “patience and
understanding” over the decision to call off the races for now.
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“We are working with Cycling Ireland to seek an available date to reschedule as soon as we can,” he said.
“And for those who have registered via the Cycling Ireland portal, we will begin the process of working through refunds.”
Irish racing follows pro scene pattern
Already the pro scene in Europe has been impacted by the virus, with racing in Italy scrapped for now, but in the hope it can take place later in the year.
Strade Binche, which was due to take place last Saturday, and Tirreno-Adriatico, which was due to start today, were both called off.
Milan-Sanremo, which had been set for March 21st, is also off. It is hoped these races can be held later in the year.
While Paris-Nice is currently underway the French authorities have banned public gatherings in recent days and the starts and finishes of Paris-Nice stages have been deserted.
The Tour de Normandie has been called off and more international races are expected to be scrapped; with some organisers looking for dates later this year.
Against that background, and with cases of COVID-19 increasing in Ireland, it is no surprise some Irish race organisers have decided to shelve plans for their races, for the time being at least.
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