La Mediterraneenne cancelled for 2017

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The 2017 edition of La Méditerranéenne has been canceled due to a lack of availability of police motorcycle escorts, according to Direct Velo. The French race was originally scheduled to run from February 8-12, 2017, but the first two days were removed late last year for similar reasons.

The race was created from the ashes of the Tour Méditerranéen, which last ran in 2014. La Méditerranéenne was four stages long in 2016, and included a team time trial, which was won by FDJ, and three road stages. The overall GC was won by Andriy Grivko (Astana), who escaped on the penultimate stage and soloed to the win.

The absence of La Méditerranéenne further widens the hole in the racing schedule in February that opened up after Tour of Qatar was canceled.

Tour de France runner-up Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) was originally expected to star in the race this year, but after it was shortened he altered his schedule to begin racing at the Tour of Oman.

After the Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise (Jan 29) and Etoile de Bessèges (Feb 1-5), the next race in France will be the Tour du Haut Var (Feb 18-19). There are no stage races in the same time slot, but there are several one-day races including the Vuelta Murcia and Clasica Almeria in Spain, and the Trofeo Laigueglia in Italy. The Tour of Oman begins on February 14.