The snow along a section of next weekend’s proposed race route has unfortunately forced the cancellation of the Tour of the North
The Tour of the North, which was set for the upcoming Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Snow drifts are 15ft high along sections of the route after parts of Ulster were pounded with heavy snowfall and freezing conditions.
The race, which is one of the biggest and most professionally run on the domestic calendar, was due to start with the traditional Stormont prologue time trial on Friday.
In a statement issued to stickybottle this afternoon, the race organising committee said they were disappointed to have to take such a big step. However, given the state of some sections of the route and the cold weather forecast for coming days they believed they had no choice.
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They also felt with the emergency services already stretched in keeping the region moving and restoring power and water to householders, that running an international bike race would amount to burdening those services with an additional workload. The organisers are hopeful of rescheduling the event to a date later in the year.
The full statement reads:
“Over the weekend the Tour of the North International Cycle Race organisers consulted with relevant parties and it is with great regret that the 50th edition of the race has been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions.”
“The majority of the race route is passable but some sections are under 15+ feet of snow. Race organisers had hoped for a thaw in time for the race to start, but looking at the temperatures for the coming week there seems little chance of conditions improving.”
“Many households and businesses are without power and water. The emergency services are stretched dealing with incidents and adding an international cycle race into the mix would be irresponsible.”
“Snow only began to fall on Friday and has already led to the postponement of several sporting events across Northern Ireland. All teams and sponsors will be contacted later today (Monday) with more details. Race organisers are considering a postponement until later in the year and a full announcement will be made in due course.”
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