Three Peaks Cyclocross Cancelled Again For This Year

In ‘not very surprising’ news, we’ve just heard from the organisers of the Three Peaks Cyclocross that the 2021 running of the event has been cancelled. “But why is it cancelled when the Giro d’Italia is going ahead?” we hear you ask. After all, the Peaks is at the end of September…

The answer is that the Peaks is a volunteer-run event that travels over something like 30 different landowners’ lands and it relies on the goodwill of the community, as well as the armies of volunteer marshals, organisers and Mountain Rescue to keep it running smoothly.

This is only the fourth time in over 50 years that the Peaks has been cancelled. It was previously cancelled due to the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak and then a few years later in 2007 as a precaution, again due to F&M. Last year’s Three Peaks was cancelled, unsurprisingly due to the pandemic, but riders and fans had hoped that the easing of restrictions would mean that this year was definitely ‘on’. Unfortunately, the whole global pandemic thing has added too much uncertainty and with some infrastructure – like barriers, toilets and marquees needing to be committed to now, there was too much in the balance for the organisers.

We reckon that four cancellations from a half-century of racing isn’t bad. It’s not like bad weather has ever caused it not to run…

Much of the entry fee money goes towards local projects, mountain rescue and into the extensive prize list, so there aren’t any great reserves of cash for organisers to fall back on in the event of a cancellation. In fact, to its credit, the Three Peaks has resisted commercial sponsorship and retained its local village fete feel, despite a global fanbase.

Mark, the organiser said: “The 2021 edition of the 3 peaks Cyclo-Cross is cancelled. The decision has been made following consultation with those who make the race possible, and with consideration for competitors, the local community, and spectators. We intend to schedule the next edition on Sunday 25th September 2022, with entries opening on Wednesday 1st June 2022.“

So, you have another year to get training! In the meantime, this is a great time to feature a couple of great videos showing the different sides of the event.

Keep up to date at the Three Peaks website here, or its Facebook page.