THE Tour of Britain cycling race, due to take place from 6-13 September 2020 with a hosting stage in Warrington, has been postponed until September 2021.
The decision – made by the race organisers, following consultations with British Cycling, regional stakeholders, sponsors and partners – has been taken in light of the ongoing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes continuing with the planning and organisation of the 2020 event impractical.
Warrington had been selected to host a stage of the prestigious race, and will remain a host venue for the rescheduled event when it takes place next year.
The provisional dates for the 2021 Tour of Britain are 5 – 12 September and these will be confirmed in the coming months by the sport’s governing body, the UCI.
The full route for the race, which, alongside Warrington, had already announced visits to Devon and Cumbria during its eight stages, will also be announced later in the year.
Warrington Borough Council Leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “Being selected as a host venue for the Tour of Britain is a real honour for our town, and I am, of course, disappointed that the event cannot go ahead this year. However, this is absolutely the right decision. People’s health and safety comes first and until we are in a position to guarantee that safety, large scale events like this simply cannot go ahead.
“At the same time, the current pressures facing Warrington and all local authorities means our resources must be dedicated to keeping our essential services running and protecting our most vulnerable people. This must be our priority at the moment, which means we do not have the capacity to fully plan the event, nor to maximise the social, economic and community benefits that it will bring to our town.
“We now have a 16-month build up to the race coming to Warrington, which gives us the time to ensure that this is a wonderful occasion for our town. We are fully committed to supporting Tour of Britain’s aims to make the 2021 event bigger and better than ever.”
