Cross-country mountain bike world championships cancel due to coronavirus
UCI seeking a new venue for the 2020 cross-country world championships after Germany bans mass gatherings through October.
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The UCI has confirmed that the cross-country world championships in Albstadt, Germany, have been canceled.
The event had already been postponed from its planned June 25-28 dates, leaving the UCI to find a slot for the race later in the calendar. However, with the recent ban on mass gatherings in Germany through October 24, the governing body has pulled the plug on the races altogether.
“The UCI and the organizers cooperated throughout the process, initially seeking a postponement of the event, before agreeing to take the difficult decision to cancel the championships,” read the statement.
“The UCI shares the disappointment of the cross-country community, and acknowledges the efforts made by the City of Albstadt, the German cycling National Federation (BDR) and the State of Baden-Württemberg in these difficult circumstances.”
Last week, German authorities imposed a ban on public gatherings of greater than 5,000 people through the end of October as it battles the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions would have left the UCI staging the world championships in the winter, or in a ‘behind closed doors’ format. They are instead looking into a new location for the event.
“The UCI will continue to work on ensuring that the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Championships presented by Mercedes-Benz are staged in 2020,” read the statement. “The UCI will make an announcement on this as soon as possible.”
