NEWs: All Cycle Speedway suspended until at least April 30th

British Cycling has suspended all their sanctioned cycling activities, including cycle speedway, initially until April 30. Further details are included in the statement below.

Based on the Government’s latest advice and guidance on the developing situation around
Coronavirus/COVID19, British Cycling has suspended all of its sanctioned, cycling activities, initially
until April 30.
This includes (but is not limited to):
– Competitive events at all levels
– Non-competitive, registered events (eg sportives, reliability trials)
– Recreational rides (throughout our suite of programmes including HSBC UK Breeze, HSBC UK
Guided Rides, HSBC UK Ride Social, Let’s Ride Pop-up)
– All educational courses or activities (eg coaching courses, Ride Leader courses, commissaire
courses)
The decision has been taken based on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s caution against unnecessary
travel and contact with others, to take the necessary steps to protect the health and wellbeing of
riders, officials, volunteers and spectators, and alleviate the risk of an additional burden on the
emergency services at what is a hugely testing time.
We would strongly encourage all levels of the cycling community to join with British Cycling and the
rest of the country in doing all we can to halt the spread of the virus in the midst of what is an
unprecedented situation, however we recognise that this news will be disappointing, and potentially
worrying, for some.
British Cycling chief executive Julie Harrington said: “This was not a decision taken lightly and it is
one we have taken in close cooperation with our colleagues at Scottish Cycling and Welsh Cycling.
“We fully understand and appreciate the financial, social and community impact that this suspension
could have, and we are working now to ensure that cycling is in the best possible health once the
suspension can be lifted.
“As I’m sure everyone can appreciate, these are truly unprecedented circumstances, and while we
will be doing all we can to retain a sense of normality and continuity, it may take some time to
return to full capacity as an organisation and as a sport once this situation has been resolved.
“We will continue to update our members with more information, and will be doing everything
within our power to support those who have contributed to the rich cycling culture that this country
boasts.”

What does this mean for…:
Event organisers:
– Those organisers whose events were due to take place before April 30 will have their events
manually cancelled by British Cycling via the Event Management System. Further
information will be made available in due course
– British Cycling will work alongside these event organisers on the refund process for entered
riders
– British Cycling will work alongside organisers to identify a way to progress the race calendar
once Government advice permits racing to recommence
– Those organisers whose events are due to take place after April 30 are advised that British
Cycling will issue further advice as and when Government guidance progresses. We
appreciate that organisers will be making their own contingency plans, and may need to
cancel events post-April 30 to provide certainty
Clubs:
– Any British Cycling-sanctioned activity (eg competitive event) which a club was planning to
run prior to April 30 cannot now go ahead
– We would urge clubs to ensure that any level of organised activity they undertake is in line
with Government advice. Please see links below for further guidance. We will be in
communication with the relevant authorities to seek additional advice on your behalf
Ride Leaders/Breeze Champions
– Any British Cycling-sanctioned ride which was due to take place prior to April 30 cannot now
go ahead, and will be cancelled by British Cycling
– We would urge Ride Leaders/Breeze Champions to ensure that any level of organised
activity they choose to undertake away from British Cycling-sanctioned rides is in line with
Government advice. Please see links below for further guidance. We will be in
communication with the relevant authorities to seek additional advice on your behalf
Participants:
– Any participant who had paid to enter an event before April 30 will be issued with a refund
in due course. We are working alongside event organisers to ensure that this process is as
efficient as possible
– Our guidance to professional riders and those on the World Class Programme is that they
can continue to train, including group activity
Education courses:
– Any course scheduled to take place prior to April 30 will not now go ahead. British Cycling
will arrange refunds where applicable in due course and will look to reschedule once
Government advice permits activity to recommence
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup ticket buyers:
– Those who had purchased tickets for the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event in
Manchester over the weekend of April 18 and 19 will be issued with a full refund in due
course. We are working alongside Ticketmaster to ensure that this process is as efficient as
possible
Keeping active remains important and so long as you follow the relevant guidance with regards to
social distancing and hygiene, you can still go out on your bike

British Cycling will work with clubs to postpone their events to a later date, when they have more clarity on the situation. They will work with each region to overcome any implications for their respective leagues, along with any national series. The situation is ever changing and any updates will be published on the British Cycling news feed. Tarn Fynn will endeavour to send these out to all Cycle Speedway clubs as he receives them.