DENVER — There will be no Colorado Classic for the second year in a row.
Organizers of the Colorado Classic presented by VF Corporation announced Thursday that the 2021 event will not be held, but plans to return in 2022.
"With the 2021 race season looming, the pandemic situation remains uncertain at best," said a statement from race organizers. "As such, organizers decided to not push forward with a 2021 event."
The four-day, women’s only, professional cycling race previously canceled its 2020 edition due to the pandemic. The canceled 2020 Colorado Classic was to be staged in Snowmass Village, Avon, Boulder and Denver in the second year of a women's-only format.
> Above video: Chloe Dygert-Owen wins 2019 Colorado Classic
“In 2020, we spent months working tirelessly in conjunction with state, county and city organizations, health authorities, and the sports governing bodies to come up with a COVID mitigation plan that would ensure the health and safety for everyone," said Ken Gart, Chairman of RPM Events Group, the organizers of the Colorado Classic. "In the end, the most prudent decision was still to cancel the event. With the current situation being just as uncertain as it was last year, we don’t think it makes sense — financial or otherwise — to organize a 2021 event and risk another cancellation."
Colorado Classic organizers say that the first year of the format was an “overwhelming success” in 2019.
More than 30,000 fans watched the 2019 Colorado Classic, according to organizers. The race, which featured a dominating performance by overall champion Chloe Dygert-Owen, coursed through Steamboat Springs, Avon, Golden and Denver.
“This is not an easy decision to make," said Gart. "We know that this race holds an important place on both the domestic and international race calendars, and we remain committed to our goal of being the best women’s race in the world. But we hope that by delaying the event to 2022, the pandemic will have stabilized and we’ll be able to secure the necessary financial partners to do our event justice and host another game-changing, world-class event as we did in 2019.”
“Let me assure you that our commitment to women’s cycling is as strong as ever," said Gart. "We continue to believe that the Colorado Classic can evolve into one of the most powerful platforms in women’s sport and we will work on achieving that goal as we set our sights on 2022."
> Top stories curated daily just for you! Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER to get can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER
Download the 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.