The Pan-American Cyclo-cross Championships, due to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica next month, is under a cloud of uncertainty after organisers lost the venue at Parque Viva and cancelled the race.
The UCI Continental Championships offer prestige and an important points haul for riders from this side of the Atlantic, and this year would have been the first time since the event's inception in 2014 that the races would have taken place outside North America. However, riders hoping to get a temperate weekend of racing in the Central American oasis will have to make different travel plans.
Josh Peacock, the director of marketing and events for Cycling Canada, recently took over the position as interim President of COPACI Cross Commission, left vacant by Brook Watts' departure last year, and confirmed he is working to relocate the race.
"We were informed this past weekend that the event was no longer feasible at the originally planned venue in Costa Rica, which has resulted in the subsequent cancelation with the UCI," Peacock told Cyclingnews.
"We are currently examining multiple avenues to try and find a replacement event/venue, but cannot comment specifically on which venues are in play until we’ve done our due diligence with the local organizing committees in question.
"Given the mandated Continental Championship weekend is approaching very quickly, our goal is to reach a solution ASAP. Once we have reached a verdict on the path forward, we will be sure to communicate as needed."
COPACI could tack the championships onto an existing event, but time is running out and the most stacked races are coming in the next few weeks.
There are several races in the USA, and USA Cycling confirmed it is "aware" of the issue.
"USA Cycling feels this is an important event for our community and is dedicated to working with our fellow American Continental Federations to seek solutions in the case that the event is not able to proceed as scheduled," a statement read.
The upcoming cyclo-cross World Cups in Waterloo, Wisconsin (October 9) and Fayetteville, Arkansas (October 16) have UCI-sanctioned C1 races as part of weekends of racing, but it's short notice to make them into a Continental Championships.
Other options are the Kings CX in Mason, Ohio the weekend of October 22-23. The former Covington, Kentucky venue previously associated with the Ohio weekend of races hosted the first two Pan-American 'cross championships.
Indianapolis hosts the Major Taylor 'Cross Cup October 29-30, while the first two weekends of November are occupied by UCI races in Falmouth and Northampton, Massachusetts. The North Carolina Grand Prix will be held November 19-20, one week before the Canadian championships. The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships take place on December 10-11.
Cycling Canada have only one UCI-sanctioned event, the C2 Bear Crossing Grand Prix in Langford, British Columbia on November 27, that race is being held in conjunction with their national championships.
The last Pan Am championships took place in Garland, Texas after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Eric Brunner and Raylyn Nuss are the defending elite champions.
