“The international economic situation and, in particular the Italian one, has put many sporting events in serious difficulty”
One of the first chances for the new champion to display his rainbow jersey after the worlds has been lost from the calendar this year, with Giro d’Italia race organiser RCS Sport being forced to cancel one of its big autumn events.
The company has today announced that the Gran Piemonte would not be held this year, leaving the October 4th timeslot vacant. It blamed the current financial situation for the tough decision.
“The international economic situation and, in particular the Italian one, has put many sporting events, including the Gran Piemonte, in serious difficulty,” it stated in an announcement.
“Added in the UCI Europe Tour calendar, the Gran Piemonte, which in 2012 saw the victory of the Colombian Rigoberto Uran [pictured], suffered economic hardship that has led the organisers to the decision to cancel the event.”
The news is a blow for the sport, and not least for those lining out in RCS Sport’s Il Lombardia two days later. Gran Piemonte was the final tuneup for that Classic and helped show which riders were in shape.
RCS Sport had previously spoken of the tough financial situation facing the sport in Italy. It is unclear if any of its other events are under threat.