The organisers of the Canadian one-day WorldTour races, the Grands Prix Québec and Montréal, have announced that the 2021 editions will be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The races, which were also cancelled in 2020, have been called off due to "public health and operational requirements", according to a statement from the race organisers.
"Over the last few months, we have been considering different scenarios in constant liaison with the governments involved and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in the hope that we could organize our races in compliance with health protocols and ensuring everyone's safety," said Sébastien Arsenault, President and CEO of Événements GPCQM.
"As of today, the organizers of major Canadian events still have no guarantees that the public health regulations needed to hold the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal will be in effect at the end of the summer. There are still too many uncertainties regarding the opening of borders, mandatory quarantine and conditions for large gatherings."
The races were set to be held on September 10 and 12 this year, but the WorldTour's return to Canada will now be put off until September 9 and 11, 2022, in accordance with the UCI WorldTour calendar announced earlier this month.
A statement issued by the UCI confirmed the cancellation of the two races.
"In the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic, the International Cycling Union (UCI) regrets to announce that the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, two events on the UCI WorldTour calendar taking place in Canada, initially scheduled for 10 and 12 September respectively, have been cancelled," read the statement.
"The UCI thanks the organisers for their cooperation in this difficult situation, as well as the riders, teams and all parties concerned for their understanding."
