The Harrogate Nova Road Race, set to take place tomorrow – Sunday 25 May – has been cancelled due to severe weather warnings, with wind speeds forecast to exceed 50 miles per hour.
Organiser Mike Cross confirmed the decision in a message to riders earlier today, expressing disappointment at the cancellation but underlining that rider safety had to come first.
“The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts wind speeds in excess of fifty miles per hour,” Cross wrote. “I have had a long discussion with the chief commissaire about whether the added risks are acceptable and we have decided that to cancel the race is the safest and only reasonable option.”
The Harrogate Nova Road Race is a long-standing fixture on the British domestic calendar and was due to welcome a strong field of riders. But with gusty conditions expected to batter the exposed Yorkshire roads used for the course, the organiser said the risk was too great — not only for the riders, but for the volunteers and officials who help ensure the race runs safely.
“There is always a risk of injury involved in taking part in a bike race,” Cross added, “but this is a significant additional risk, which we don’t think is acceptable.”
He also expressed regret to riders already on the ground in Harrogate, some of whom were spotted recceing the course today.
Cross says he will attempt to find an alternative date later in the season for the race to be rescheduled.
