Race stopped due to rough conditions - Updated Gallery
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Racers faced brutal conditions on Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, at the Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Riders only made it a few kilometers into the race before the event was abandoned(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Alex Howes (EF Pro Cycling) sits in second wheel at Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
The field had to face severe conditions and road closures at the 2020 Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
On the startline at Old Man Winter Rally 2020(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Riders roll out at the Old Man Winter Rally in Colorado(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Heavy snow at the Old Man Winter Rally race in Colorado(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
The local authorities closed down the race(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
The racers hangout at the start finish area in Boulder at the Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Meredith Miller (left) at the Old Man Winter Rally 2020(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Riders turned up with bikes and gearing fit for a brutal off-road race(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Will Foley at the start of the Old Man Winter Rally 2020(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Snow fell but riders still turned up to start the 2020 Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Yannick Eckmann at the start of the 2020 Old Man Winter Rally(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
Old Man Winter Rally 2020(Image credit: www.EddieClarkMedia.com)
The Old Man Winter Rally gravel race in Colorado has been abandoned due to freezing temperatures and heavy snow. Cyclingnews understands that the decision was made by the state highway patrol. All competitors have been instructed to report back to the start and finish line.
The organisers posted a message on Instagram to confirm the news, along with images of competitors, including US national road champion Alex Howes, at a stop near the side of the road.
"Due to the winter weather – the bike race is cancelled. All bike racers please report back to the start/finish," read the race organisers' message.
Peter Stetina came into the race looking for his first gravel win of the season after placing second in the Grasshopper opener at Low Gap in late January.
"Well we started, we raced but Old Man Winter won this one," he said in a video posted on Instagram.
"The Colorado Highway patrol were closing all the roads and not letting cars up the canyon, so they sent us all back home around 30 minutes after we started. It was just a full-on day and I think that Nordic skis would have probably been the winning choice. Now we're going to eat some chili."
Riders had set out earlier in the day with persistent snow falling. Before the race was abandoned a front group had formed with Howes among the leaders.
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This story is still developing and Cyclingnews will have further updates.
Oops....race got cancelled once we were about 12km into it. Definitely tough conditions, but I was loving it. I wanted to continue on, but totally understand the call. pic.twitter.com/IqocNff8JSFebruary 9, 2020
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
