The start of the season was moved forward to avoid bad weather. But now the opening weekend of the delayed season faces wipe-out due to snow. Half of the races that were planned for this weekend are now off (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Less than 24 hours after Dublin Wheelers CC said its Mick Lally Memorial fixture was off, Navan Road Club and Banbridge CC have followed with cancellations.
Banbridge was due to run the Annaclone GP on Saturday. But that is now cancelled due to the weather.
And the Cycleways Cup, that was scheduled for Sunday in Co Meath, is also off. Navan Road Club was due to run those races.
The cancellations to date are likely to be followed by others. But at present the Mick Lally, Annaclone GP and Cycleways Cup are the only races for this weekend that are confirmed cancelled at the time of writing on Thursday morning.
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That means two of the three road race fixtures planned for Saturday are off. The only other races down to be contested are in Limerick.
The Darach McCarthy & Co Solicitors and Michael Shiels road races are being hosted by Newcastle West Knights Cycling Club on Saturday.
Stickybottle has been in touch with the club and they tell us they are still hopeful the races can go ahead. However, they will make a decision by 3pm tomorrow. And we will bring you news on those races at that time.
The Phoenix GP and Lacey Cup are also in the calendar for this weekend; both penciled in for Sunday. And we’ll bring you developments in relation to those races when we have that news.
But at the time of writing, neither of those races had been cancelled.
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Indeed, those organising the Lacey Cup said the racing is not threatened by the weather. We'll bring you an update on the Phoenix GP when we have it.
Banbridge CC confirmed the cancellation of Saturday’s Travers Engineering Annaclone GP in a statement this morning.
“Due to the heavy fall of snow overnight last night (Wednesday), and continued forecasted snow and freezing temperatures, the racing committee of Banbridge CC have agreed to cancel this year’s Travers Engineering Annaclone GP,” it said.
“The racing is cancelled on grounds of safety for all involved with the event. We are working closely with Cycling Ireland office staff to arrange a full refund to all those who have registered for the event.
“This is likely to run into next week with the Cycling Ireland offices closed both today (Thursday) and tomorrow due to the weather conditions.
“As a club, we are of course disappointed to be forced to make the decision to cancel. However, with continued extreme weather conditions forecast it is with confidence we can assume the roads will be in no condition for racing on Saturday.
“And we take this opportunity to advise and consult with all those involved sooner rather than later.
“We would like to thank all those who have been involved in the organisation of this year’s event.
“And we look forward to welcoming you back to Banbridge for the numerous other events we will be promoting during the year.
Navan Road Club also issued a statement stating: “Due to the ongoing inclement weather we are postponing the Cycleways Cup.”
The club had hoped to delay the decision a little longer. But considering the weather, conditions of the roads and the forecast for coming days it has made the call now to give everyone plenty of notice.
We’ll bring you more information when we have it on the other events in the calendar and for which no decision has yet been made.
