Jayco Herald Sun Tour cancelled for third year straight in 2023, targets 2024 return
This article originally appeared on Velo News
Jayco Herald Sun Tour is off the men’s and women’s calendars for 2023.
Organizers of the Australian stage race confirmed Monday that “planning, timing, and workforce challenges,” forced the event’s cancellation for 2023.
The news completes a horror hat trick after both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Sun Tour were scrapped due to COVID and travel complications.
"This has not been an easy decision, or easy process to arrive at this point, and as custodians of this historic race we are disappointed that it will not be proceeding in 2023,” race chairman Tom Salom said Monday.
Organizers additionally told CyclingTips they had "been working diligently behind the scenes in a bid to make the event possible next year" but "there are now genuine health and work safety issues for riders and staff."
Also read: Significant changes to Tour Down Under as race returns in early 2023
The five-day race typically draws a curtain on the Australian premiere calendar.
A series of new year crits historically open an Aussie “summer of cycling” that stretches through the men’s and women’s Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race before the early February Sun Tour.
The WorldTour-opening Tour Down Under - which was granted top-tier status for both its men’s and women’s races in 2023 - and the one-day Cadel’s race are back on the menu for January 2023.
“We thank the government and industry stakeholders for their collective efforts, and we are acutely aware of the importance of this as an event across the state,” Salom said.
“Our focus will now turn to the future and planning for the 2024 edition of Australia’s oldest stage race.”
For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.
