Joan McCullough, race director of the event told social media this morning: “It is with a heavy heart that we have had to take the unfortunate action to cancel this year’s edition of the Tour of the North. This decision has not been taken lightly as a lot of work has gone into getting the race back on the road after a two-year hiatus with Covid. We have faced numerous challenges over the last number of months. The absence of PSNI support and new regulations with a lack of clarification from the relevant bodies means that we have not been able to secure a rolling road closure, thus restricting the courses we can use. However, we worked hard to select a challenging route for the riders and set the wheels in motion for the Easter Weekend. Carrying the baton as the first stage race in NI post-Covid has presented no small amount of challenges and with just under a month to the race start, fresh issues have arisen which make this year’s edition untenable. We have had to make the incredibly tough decision to cancel due to this. We are sorry to the teams and riders who have already entered but making the call at this stage will hopefully give everyone a chance to rearrange their plans. We will be in contact with teams regarding entry returns but if you have any questions, please let us know. We hope to see you all next year, bigger and better than ever. Take care, Joan McCullough.
