Tour de Yorkshire 2021 has been postponed

The Tour de Yorkshire 2021 has been postponed, the race organisers have announced.

After the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, with the race being rescheduled for next year, event managers have now confirmed that the 2021 edition will also be postponed due to Covid-19.

A statement from the organisers said: "Unfortunately, the 2021 Tour de Yorkshire will be postponed until 2022. It was a difficult decision to make but given the developing Covid-19 situation, Welcome to Yorkshire and ASO will instead focus on bringing the race back bigger and better than ever in 2022." 

The announcement is further confirmation that the coronavirus pandemic will continue to effect the cycling season beyond 2020, after the Tour Down Under, the first WorldTour race of the season, was cancelled earlier this month.

The Tour de Yorkshire, normally held in early May, was cancelled this year when as coronavirus continued to spread, but next year's edition has also been pushed back.

Organised by the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism board and the organisers of the Tour de France ASO, the men's and women's Tour de Yorkshire are popular British events.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive James Mason said: "During this uncertain times, Welcome to Yorkshire need to focus on the immediate needs of the industry without committing both financial and human resources towards any activity or event that we cannot be certain of.

"Whilst it is very disappointing that we will be bereft of this wonderful race for another year, the decision we have made is the right one and perhaps the only one we could make.

"The uncertainty in front of us meant it was impossible to plan or commit the resource that the race needs."

Welcome to Yorkshire had been facing difficulties before the coronavirus pandemic, after former CEO Gary Verity resigned in march last year after admitting he "made errors of judgement regarding his expenses."

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Concerns were also raised over Verity’s behaviour towards staff, although Welcome to Yorkshire said these matters were not directly linked to his departure.

The organisation has also faced financial difficult, earlier this year asking for a £1.4million bailout in public money, saying it would face closure if the money could not be found.