US Open of Cycling cancelled

The US professional calendar will be one event shorter this year after organisers of the US Open of Cycling announced today that it has cancelled race scheduled for May 4, 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island.

The US Open Cycling Foundation cited a lack of significant corporate sponsorship for its decision to cancel this year’s professional cycling event, but said it hopes to run the event in May 2011.

It has been three years since the first US Open of Cycling was run in Richmond, Virginia in April, 2007. The race was held in epic conditions thanks to a rare spring snowfall that year. Canadian Svein Tuft won the event, but since then, the race has failed to get off the ground again.

Richard Durishin, executive director of the U.S. Open Cycling Foundation, said, "Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the sponsorship needed to run the U.S. Open of Cycling this year and are cancelling the event. We have already begun discussions with potential sponsors for the 2011 race and we hope that, by then, the interested parties are enjoying the fruits of a more robust economy."

The race was to be part of USA Cycling's Professional Tour, a series of now nine events which begins next month with the Tour of Battenkill and concludes with the USA Cycling Professional championships in Greenville, South Carolina in September.