The Tour de White Rock will not be returning in 2023.
The seaside cycling tour, which used to be part of BC Superweek – along with the Tour de Delta, New West Grand Prix, Gastown Grand Prix, Giro di Burnaby and the Poco Grand Prix – has been cancelled for the fourth straight year, with the last one held in 2019.
The Superweek series includes the two-day Tour de White Rock – typically held each July, with both a criterium race in uptown White Rock and a longer road race that begins and ends along Marine Drive.
While the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is still scheduled for July 12 on the cobbled streets of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, none of the other cycling events are coming back in 2023.
“Many of the other cities in the Lower Mainland who have hosted a race as part of BC Superweek have indicated they will no longer be participating, which has resulted in a reduction in the quantity and calibre of cyclists,” City of White Rock manager of communications and government relations Amanda Silvers said in an email.
READ ALSO: Tour de White Rock cancelled for third straight summer
“Combined with rising costs, the City of White Rock made the difficult decision to discontinue the event for 2023.”
She did not say whether the event will return in 2024.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tour de White Rock – which until 2014 used to include a third event, the gruelling hill climb – had been on the Semiahmoo Peninsula’s sports calendar annually since the very first event was held on Labour Day weekend in 1980.
The last edition of the Gastown race in 2019 saw more than 200 professional men and women representing 10 nations, which produced the largest competitors’ fields ever in Gastown, according to a release.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Gastown Grand Prix and a special commemorative celebration is planned to recognize the history of the event.
“BC Superweek organizers would like to thank the cities of Delta, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, and White Rock for their support of the series over the years,” the release said.
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