Women’s WorldTour loses two one-day races from revised schedule

Only nine days after the UCI released a revised schedule of the men’s and women’s WorldTours, the women’s calendar has lost two of its one day races, as the organizers of the Postnord Vårgårda West Sweden team time trial and road race cancelled the events on Thursday. The team chrono was supposed to roll on August 8, the second event in the revised schedule, and the road race on August 9.

Travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are behind the abandonment of the races. Chairperson of the race Helen Henriksson said, “Of course, it is very sad, but after talks with both the municipality and sponsors, we do not see opportunities in this situation to gather together the organization required for the competition and the bicycle party that includes the whole weekend. But as it seems now that there are restrictions on being able to move at all, we saw no other way to stop. It’s sad but we feel we made the right decision. Now we look forward and expect to be back with the World Tour in August 2021.”

Last year Trek-Segafredo beat out Canyon-SRAM in the team time trial, while Marta Bastianelli of Team Virtu Cycling prevailed in the road race.

The cancellations mean that the revised women’s calendar is down to 16 events starting August 1 with Strade Bianche.

August 1: Strade Bianche
August 13-16: Ladies Tour of Norway
August 26: GP de Plouay–Lorient Agglomération Trophée WNT
August 29: La Course by Le Tour de France
September 1-6: Boels Ladies Tour
September 11-19: Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile
September 30: La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
October 4: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes
October 10: Amstel Gold Race Ladies
October 11: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
October 18: Ronde van Vlaanderen
October 20: Tour of Guangxi
October 20: Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne
October 23-25: Tour of Chongming Island
October 25: Paris-Roubaix
November 6-8: Ceratizit Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta