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Tour of Alberta cancelled due to lack of financial funding

After five years of operation, Canada’s top pro stage race, the Tour of Alberta, will not carry on due to a lack of funding

“This decision did not come easily, however with the current economic conditions and decreases in traditional funding sources, we had no other option,” said Alberta Peloton Association board chair Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson.

The race began as a six-stage event in 2013 when Rohan Dennis won the overall. That year, the race attracted six WorldTour teams and stars such as Peter Sagan, Ryder Hesjedal, Cadel Evans, and Dave Zabriskie.

In the ensuing editions, the race contracted to just four stages in 2017, mostly based around Edmonton, with only one WorldTour team, Cannondale-Drapac, in attendance.

Rally Cycling’s Evan Huffman won the overall in the final edition of Tour of Alberta in 2017.

Over five years, 29 Alberta communities hosted over 525 professional cyclists representing 33 countries.

Tour of Alberta is not the first North American stage race to struggle in recent years. The USA Pro Challenge was canceled in 2016 after five years of operation. Another Colorado stage race took its August timeslot in 2017, the Colorado Classic. However, this new race was smaller scale than its predecessor in its first running — just four stages.

There are only five UCI events left in Canada for 2018: the two-day World Tour races, the GP Montreal and GP Quebec and classes 2, the Saguenay Grand Prix Cycliste, the Tour de Beauce and the White Sport / Delta Road Race.

Tour of Alberta cancelled due to lack of financial funding