Dutch and Spanish races cancelled

Two European races have been cancelled by their respective organisers for this year. The Dutch Batavus Pro Race (Cat. 1.1) and the Spanish stage race Circuito Montañés (2.2) will not take place in 2011.

The organsiers of the Batavus Pro Race, also known as the Profronde van Friesland, have made known that they were unable to gather the necessary funds to support the event in time after Batavus, the race's sponsor since 2008, bowed out. The race has thus been held seven times so far with Markus Eichler as winner of the last edition in 2010.

Also, the more famous Circuito Montañés will be scrapped off the teams' calendars this summer. Event organiser Julián Pelayo passed away last year and this, according to Biciciclismo, was the main reason the race will not get underway this season.

The Circuito Montañés was raised to a professional competition in 1986 when Pelayo took over the organisation, and counts amongst its most recent winners José María Jiménez, Javier Ochoa, Robert Gesink, Bauke Mollema, Tejay Van Garderen and Fabio Duarte.