THE Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup due to be hosted in Fort William has today announced that the event scheduled for May has been cancelled.
The organisers say that with Covid-19 restrictions likely to still be in place, it has made it difficult to proceed with the event that was due to take place on May 22nd-23rd.
Concluding that the risks and challenges were too great to overcome, the organisers announced the decision today with an aim to return “bigger better and more passionate than ever.”
The organisers say every effort was made with significant support and backing from Scottish Government and EventScotland, to develop an appropriate event plan that followed Covid-19 guidence.
Mike Jardine from organisers Rare Management said:“Whilst the easing of restrictions is moving in the right direction, there are still a number of challenges with the delivery of an event of this size that, even without public attendance, make it difficult to deliver a safe World Cup in May.
“This cancellation is a blow to us as an organising team as much as it will be for the entire mountain bike community but especially the UK stars who won’t be able to perform in front of their home crowd.
“Reece Wilson, from the Scottish Borders, should have been celebrating his World Champion title on his home track. Instead, the Fort William World Cup team will focus on the future and return bigger, better and more passionate than ever”
Options for a later date are still being examined with a final decision to be announced in the next few weeks.
