March 18/21 11:31 am - 2021 Tour de l'Abitibi / Tour de la Releve Cancelled

Posted by Editoress on 03/18/21
 

Organizers have announced that, for the second year in a row, the top Junior and Cadet races in Canada for men and women have been cancelled due to the pandemic [Note: Tour de l'Avenir MaKadence (Junior Women and Cadet Men/Women) is still scheduled for August 11-15]. The release from the organizers is below:

The 52nd edition of the Tour de l'Abitibi, scheduled for July 12 to 18, 2021, and the Tour de la Relève, which were supposed to take place on July 17 and 18, 2021, in Rouyn-Noranda, are postponed until next year, due to the current situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The risk assessment, the health measures to follow in an international event and the uncertainty of financial support are some of the reasons explaining this decision. The organization of the Tour de l'Abitibi favours the safety of the riders, volunteers and local population, to the holding of this edition.

The health measures and organizational changes required to minimize the risks of the virus spreading, while complying with the government's and the International Cycling Union's recommendations were analyzed. It [would be] very difficult to follow some of these measures due to unique features of the Tour de l'Abitibi, such as teams' accommodation in schools and meals served in the cafeteria, to name a few.

"It represents a tremendous workload for the organizing committee. Also, these measures would have quickly discouraged the volunteers from getting involved. The Tour de l'Abitibi must remain a flawless event, locally valued and of international reputation," said the Tour de l'Abitibi president, Suzanne Fortin.

Besides the 2021 to 2026 agreement with Amos, Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or, the funding of international sporting events is, to this day, still uncertain. Such a wide-ranging event requires careful planning, over several months. The uncertainty concerning the health measures that will apply in July jeopardizes the commitments of a regular planning schedule.

"The risks of the event becoming a source of new virus outbreaks was also an issue for us. Out of respect for our valued partners and the population in general, who are always behind us, year after year, the decision to postpone, once again, the 52nd edition was the one to be made," added Mrs. Fortin.

The next edition of the Tour de l'Abitibi should take place from July 11 to 17, 2022, in Amos. As a Nations Cup event, the Tour holds the highest level of sanction awarded by the ICU [UCI]. The reputation of this competition has reached beyond our borders. It ranks among the most important Junior races in the world. Approximately 150 riders take part in the Tour de l'Abitibi each year.

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