Organisers of the Bretagne Ladies Tour Ceratizit announced Friday that they have been forced to cancel the race due to government concerns and restrictions surrounding COVID-19 coronavirus in France. The race was set to take place from October 28 to November 1.
"Despite the efforts of the organizing committee to ensure the safety of participants and followers, national decisions do not allow the proper performance of the Bretagne Ladies Tour," the organisation wrote in a statement.
The UCI 2.1 race was initially scheduled to take place in May 20-24 but was postponed due to the first wave of COVID-19 that swept through Europe this spring. Organisers were able to reschedule the race as part of the UCI's revised late-season calendar.
The five-day race was one of the final events of the season that is expected to culminate with the Women's WorldTour Madrid Challenge on from November 6-8.
Audrey Cordon-Ragot won last year's event ahead of Kirsten Wild and Juliette Labous. Other previous winners include Arlenis Sierra, Ilaria Sanguineti, Elisa Longo Borghini, Anna van der Breggen and Emma Pooley. Marina Jaunatre won the inaugural event in 2007.
📝 Nous sommes au regret de vous annoncer que le @BretagneLadiesT 2020 n’aura pas lieu. Malgré les efforts du comité d’organisation pour assurer la sécurité des participantes et des suiveurs, des décisions nationales ne permettent pas la bonne tenue du #BretagneLadiesTour. pic.twitter.com/E31ZyUiZGxOctober 23, 2020