Uncertain future for Tour of Beijing

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The Tour of Beijing’s future is currently on the line with the UCI and race organizers currently negotiating over the event’s status. The race was launched in 2011 and is in its final year of an initial four-year contract. The 2014 edition of the race was unveiled last week and the five-day race will be held from October 10-14.

Global Cycling Promotion (GCP), the arm of the UCI charged with the global promotion of cycling in a race organising capacity, confirmed that negotiations over the race’s future were underway but that a final announcement over the race’s future will be made during the World Championships next month, when the UCI unveil their 2015 WorldTour calendar.

“Discussions are still ongoing between the UCI and the race organizing committee,” GCP’s Alain Rumpf told Cyclingnews. “I’m organising the race on behalf of the UCI. However, any announcement over the event’s future will be made the next month at Worlds when the UCI calendar will be approved.”

Rumpf added that, “both parties have expressed that they are open to continue and that’s all I can stay at this stage.” 

Cyclingnews contacted the UCI directly. The sport’s governing body, who have only launched one WorldTour race since the inception of the GCP, reiterated that the final announcement would be made during the Worlds.

“Although we do not comment on specific cases, discussions with the Chinese authorities have been taking place with the UCI as it is common practice with race organizers and teams at this period of the year. It is the UCI’s responsibility to create the most favorable environment for any promoter willing to be part of the UCI WorldTour circuit. The 2015 UCI WorldTour calendar will be announced on the back of the next Professional Cycling Council meeting late September in Ponferrada, Spain.”