It was hopeful that the 2020 National Championship events would take place after being rescheduled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this past week USA Cycling announced the cancellation of several National Championship events for 2020.
USA Cycling explained,
This update comes after months of working through numerous plans and options and is written with disappointment, as we are unfortunately forced to announce the cancellation of multiple National Championships for the 2020 season. Throughout this time, we have worked to create alternative dates in the hopes that COVID-19 cases would decrease, sought alternative locations where needed, and looked to modify our events in order to mitigate risk and meet local regulations and requirements.
As we have gotten closer to decision dates, it has become clear that many of the challenges in conducting safe and fair Nationals are insurmountable. In the end, we do not feel confident that we can ensure the safety of our participants, volunteers, staff, and host communities.
While we are seeing a return of local rides and races in some areas, Nationals draw a large number of people from around the country. When combined with the challenges of obtaining local permissions and permits, having to heavily modify event formats, and facing financial concerns within both our organization and local organizing committees, we have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel the following events for 2020:
USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships
USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships
USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships
USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships
USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships
USA Cycling Elite and Junior Track National Championships
USA Cycling Masters Track National ChampionshipsWe want to thank all of the partners who worked with us over the last three months as we explored options to hold these events. They were also looking forward to hosting you and they have been incredibly supportive of date changes and flexible with format changes.
We are continuing to work through options for our fall Collegiate events, Marathon MTB, and Cyclocross Nationals and will continue to communicate the status of these events.
We have already begun to plan next year’s Nationals and will be releasing dates and locations shortly. In addition, we will allow those current National Champions who are otherwise eligible to continue to wear the Stars and Stripes jerseys through the 2021 event.
We understand this news has been difficult to read, and it has been hard to write. It is difficult to fully express our disappointment in how this season has developed for everyone. Please be safe and enjoy some time on the bike, we remain committed to the future of National Championships and look forward to seeing you at next year’s events.
