Tour Colombia 2021 cancelled due to Covid-19

Tour Colombia have cancelled the 2021 edition of their race due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The stage race was due to begin on February 14 but will now join the list of races already scrapped in the new year.

The Colombian Cycling Federation say the high number of cases in the country at the moment make it too difficult to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

The Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Road Race and Herald Sun Tour have all been called off in Australia due to coronavirus complications, mostly the need to invite Europeans who are struggling with a winter surge in cases at a time when the southern hemisphere country hasn't recorded more than 40 cases a day for the last month.

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Along with the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia being cancelled at the start of February, the first couple of months of racing are looking sparse in terms of high profile events.

The men's WorldTour should now get going with the UAE Tour at the end of February before Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, while the women's WorldTour will get underway with Strade Bianche on March 6.

"Due to the high number of active cases, the outbreaks in the world and the difficulty of providing all the guarantees related to the biosecurity protocols for the caravan and the fans in general, the executive committee of the Colombian Cycling Federation in full, has taken the decision to cancel the realization of Tour Colombia 2.1 for 2021, an event that will be resumed in the 2022 season," the Colombian Cycling Federation said in a statement.

"The situation of the pandemic has forced cycling and major sporting events to rethink the staging of its main protagonists, seeking prevention and reducing the risk of the spread of Covid-19 in demonstrations of huge call and public appeal such as the Tour Colombia A race that in its three previous editions has produced a high impact on the fans of the country and the world."